From the Frozen Forochel Lands
by Daughter of the Oceans
Summary: Far to the North was the frozen wasteland of the Forodwaith. No dwarf, orc, man or elf ever ventured there, yet rumors existed of great beasts and icy demons that dwelt there since the Great Lamps shone. Gandalf summons aid from the polar Forochel lands, will her presence aid the Company or doom them all?
1. From the Snow to the Shire

**This story will not be my main focus, but I will try to update it as much as I can. My main is a Haikyuu fic, called Key to my Heart. I hope you enjoy my version of an extra character in the Company, but I hope this one will be different than the standard Thorin or Kili or Fili x OC. There is no slash in this fic, at least with the main character. Only hints of a future romance will be given, and only for a brief arc. Also, the ship will not be a popular or common one. After a while, it's hard to find a good romance fic between a popular character and an OC. **

**Ignore my rambling, let's begin the story, shall we? I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. That man was a genius! I still get lost walking in my school that I've attended for the past 5 years.**

* * *

The Forochel lands of the North. A mystery, too cold and barren for anyone to live there.

Or so the Elves, Dwarves, and Men believed.

He struggled to trudge through the snow of the northern mountains. He shivered, he couldn't even imagine the icy land beyond the frozen mountains, and it was bad enough at the southern edge of the North Mountains.

He made to the meeting spot after hours of pillaging through thick snow and biting winds. Glancing around, he saw no sign of the one who was supposed to meet him.

"Gandalf, you've finally arrived," a young female voice teasingly said nearby.

The Istari turned to the source of the voice, and sure enough, he saw her. A young woman, appearing in her late teens, with long pure white hair pulled into a tight low bun with strands loosely framing her face and neck, her bangs covered her left eye so the only eye showing was silver, and smirked playfully at the wizard. Rather tall for a woman, she stood at the height 5'5, and extremely pale, as all were of her kind.

"I was beginning to think you'd never turn up; what delayed you?" She asked, fully knowing the answer already.

Gandalf harrumphed indignantly. "See now child! I have not journeyed to the northwestern border of Ered Luin, sneaking past orcs and the Dwarves, to be heckled by you!"

She raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "It's my job to heckle grumpy old men; you know this."

He whacked her on the head with his staff. "Be serious! I'm quite annoyed at all the snow! Never has snow been so cold," Gandalf muttered, shaking some excess snow off his grey hat. "Only your people live past the Northern Mountains."

"Ah, there! You're wrong about that," she snickered heartily, snapping her fingers. "The four Lossoth Villages of men are only a few miles north of Ered Luin and here." She gave the Maia a wicked grin. "Maybe in your old age you've forgotten that!"

He whacked her again on the head with his staff. "Quiet, you impertinent brat! Even so, the Snow Men do not travel past your people's borders. Now shush and listen to me!"

She gingerly rubbed her head. "I'm not so certain I'm inclined to listen anymore, but go ahead and amuse me. Tarry not though, we are far too close to Carn Dûm's ruins as it is."

Gandalf pulled out a worn map, a map of the eastern side of West Middle Earth. "A certain Dwarf King has decided to try to reclaim the Mountain of Erebor. He is gathering a company of his most trusted allies to go with him, and possibly an army."

The girl's jaw was set with gravity and her eyes steel now. "Do you even know what you're asking of me?" She laughed coldly, all trace of mirth gone. "Gandalf, I don't know who you think I am, but I am no dragon slayer."

Gandalf gave her a twinkle of the eye. "Your aunt is, as is your uncle."

She did not find his comment amusing. "You know as well as I do my Aunt cannot leave the Forochel Lands, neither can my uncle. Not now at least. Tell me, why do you really want me?"

Ah. Here was the answer to the whole meeting.

"I need a guide and protector through the Misty Mountains and the Greenwood," Gandalf revealed his true intentions. "You know those mountains well, and Thranduil is on friendly terms with you."

She scoffed bitterly, a foul memory resurfacing. "Was. Before his Queen died, anyway, the answer is no, I have other, more pressing things to see to, I have no allegiance to Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain."

She made a motion to whistle into the wind.

"There is a Hobbit," Gandalf intervened before she could leave. It worked too; her fingers hovered in front of her mouth as she waited for the Wizard to continue. "I am fond of him, and he is quite the inquisitive halfling. I wish for his safety on this quest."

She paused, collecting her thoughts. Finally, she sent a harsh and sharp glance at the older man. "What's in it for me?"

Gandalf knew she would ask of this. "You would receive a portion of the treasure should Erebor be retaken from Smaug."

"I have plenty of treasure already," she countered swiftly. "That is a perilous gamble to make anyway."

"And an adventure beyond any you've had before," Gandalf added, adding a bit more sugar to the pie. "I believe this quest will make a good story, even with your ridiculously high standards."

She at long last cracked a smile, after contemplating her options for a minute or so. "You know what? I do think I'll accept your offer. My brother will have to cover my duties, but it sounds worthwhile. I could use an exciting break."

She saw the pleased smile on the Maia's lips.

"Go to the Shire, Hobbiton. Find a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, a fortnight and two days from now. There will be a mark on the door," Gandalf instructed, already gathering his robes to leave. "Tell him I sent you, and tell him who you are. I shall see you shortly."

She laughed again, this time full of uncanny and boisterous amusement. "As will I!" She whistled piercingly loud, and soon a large white wolf bounded into sight from around the corner. With proficient agility, she swung herself onto the wolf and bounded away, tracking up puffs of snowy dust and disappearing into the frosty air.

Gandalf would never get used to the fact that she rode a white wolf the size of a horse.

Her people were strange.

Famously old and wise, but queer. And Gandalf knew they'd agree with him.

* * *

She wondered why she had agreed.

Certainly, she loved adventure, but she could only see this one as folly. Reclaim the Lonely Mountain and kill the dragon? T'was foolish and insane. She had never killed a dragon, let alone see one. Well, she had seen one, but only for a bit before it vanished back to the Withered Heath. A smile played to her lips, remembering how her Aunt and Uncle chased the cold-drake away.

She had alerted the family of her trip; most of whom were not pleased.

"Why should you concern yourself with the matters of Dwarves? Let them all burn at the hands of Smaug," Her mother had said scornfully.

Her mother had held a long distaste for Dwarves ever since the First Age. Why her mother held a deep resentment for Dwarves, it was not her place to discuss at the time.

Her brother and sister in law were both concerned that she wouldn't return, although they had reluctantly said they wouldn't interfere. Her father responded... well... as her father would. "WAHHHHH! Don't leave your old man behind!" He had wailed dramatically, clinging onto his daughter like a lifeline.

She didn't know how she managed to wriggle her way out of his arms. Her two cousins wanted her to go, to partake in a quest full of danger and adventure. She loved them like her own younger sisters since she didn't have any. Their husbands, her cousins in law, also wished her luck and fortune.

Her aunt, ah her dear aunt. Her aunt wanted to come along too, yet she knew she couldn't, as she had to stay in the North. Her uncle had also managed to persuade his wife not to go. Her aunt had a fiery temper that longed for timeless adventure and dangerous trials. In essence, her aunt was the life of the party whenever they had one.

With all of her family allowing her to go (besides her mother, but she couldn't stop her), she was ready to travel to the Shire.

She had visited the Shire many times, but none of those visits had been recent. Astride on her formidably large white wolf, she rode hard to the south. It would be a week's journey if she rode the boats down the rivers. Perhaps longer if she wished to avoid the Orcs, which she did. She didn't fear to lose her way; she had traveled these paths many times, more than most of her people did. Still, it never hurt to be cautious, especially in these times.

She had finally reached the western side of Hobbiton, mid-afternoon she presumed was the time. She rather liked the Shire. It was generally warm, sunny and full of childish color — flowers of all colors, emerald grass, a sapphire sky and rivers, and golden light. The Shire was beautiful in her opinion, a haven against the world's real cruelty and coldness. Her home was peaceful yet orcs still occasionally trespassed their borders. There were still battles fought and people to be buried. The weather was so much more beautiful in the Shire, no matter how much she loved her land. The bluish-white ice and snow had its type of appeal too, but the vibrant colors were something only the Shire had in its own way.

Gandalf had told her there would be a mark on Baggins' door. Seemed a bit rude to her to vandalize someone else's property but it would work. A more elderly, plumper Hobbit was out tending his garden, and his eyes darted suspiciously at her once he noticed her. She did look like one of the big folk.

"Good day sir Hobbit!" She called out cheerfully. "Splendid garden you have! Might I ask where Mr. Bilbo Baggins' home is?"

He still regarded her skeptically. "Down the path north."

She smiled brightly, trying to appease his heart. "Thank you, good sir!"

She called quietly for her White Wolf to emerge from the woods nearby, and the old hobbit's eyes widened in recognition and shock.

"Tis' an honor, m'lady," the hobbit now bowed his head respectfully. "It has been many a year since one of your people has ventured this far south. The Hole you seek is at the top of the hill."

She grinned childishly. "Thank you for your wondrous directions!"

She walked around the outskirts, not wanting to scare anybody with her wolf. After all, she figured not everyone would remember her people and their involvement with the Shire. She gave specific instructions to her wolf, to not come unless she called. Not yet. She did get several curious and more often, suspicious looks from other Hobbits of the area, but continued on her way. Finally, she reached the top, and sure enough, there was a small mark on the door, left by the meddlesome wizard.

"I do wonder what type of Hobbit Baggins is," she mused aloud before knocking gently.

Best play it safe.

A younger middle-aged hobbit, with curly brown hair and a pipe in his mouth, opened the door, very surprised to see one of the big folk at his door.

"May I help you?" He squeaked shyly and a bit fearfully.

Again, she smiled kindly to soothe his probably racing heart.

"Hello good Sir Baggins!" She chirped delightfully. "The name's Seiko, pleased to meet you!"

For a moment, he stood while staring at her before straightening and stuttering. "W-well umm, good day to you, M-miss Seiko. What can I help you with?"

"Oh, glad you asked!" Seiko grinned mischievously. "I need a place to stay for the night, and I've heard about the famous hospitality of Bilbo Baggins." She grinned a sun-eating grin. "A friend of mine recommended that you liked stories, and I know many stories, be they from the tongues of elves, men and the north, and a bit of Dwarven history."

Seiko mentally smirked triumphantly; she had caught his interest and curiosity.

"Well now, I can't very well turn down a polite traveler seeking a place to stay for the night," Bilbo managed to speak properly, and widened the door for her to enter.

As best as she could, she ducked down into the cozy home and took off her shoes, as it was custom for her people to do so upon entering a host's house. It was quite lovely, cluttered yet neat at the same time. Delicious scents floated from what she assumed the kitchen, and books, books of all kinds lined the shelves and walls.

Bilbo shuffled his way in front of her, gesturing towards a direction where the smells were coming from. "Afternoon tea and crumpets?"

"I can't say no to that," Seiko answered merrily, already liking this hobbit.

Quickly, he had pulled out a chair for her at the table, set a delicate and ornate white teacup, and amassed several cheese and strawberry crumpets onto a plate matching the cup. She was very impressed at his speed and detailed attention to serving guests.

"I am flattered, Mr. Baggins," Seiko praised him. "You are an excellent host with fine manners."

He bowed shallowly, a slight blush reaching his ears. "I am a Baggins of BagEnd, what type of respectable hobbit would I be if I failed to treat my guest properly? Chamomile?"

She nodded politely. "With a bit of ice and milk in mine, please."

With adept skill, he had poured her and himself tea, settling down into his chair once he fished her some ice.

"Bilbo? Who is that?" A female voice sounded from the other hall, and an average sized female hobbit emerged into view. She was fair skinned, wore a coral knee-length dress with a sage green underskirt and a white apron, and her eyes were as blue as the sea. Her hair was a pale gold-red, and strangely it was more wavy than curly. Most Hobbit lasses had rambunctious curly hair. Lastly, she was a bit slimmer than most hobbits.

"Ah-ha!" Bilbo walked forward, taking the female hobbit by her wrist and gently taking her over to Seiko. "Ms. Seiko, is that acceptable? Yes? Alright, this is my wife, Anemone Baggins. Nemo, this is a traveling guest who needed a place to stay for the night, Ms. Seiko."

Anemone looked less apprehensive and worried now that she understood the situation. "Pleased to meet you."

"As to you," Seiko gave her a warm grin, having a gut feeling she'd like this hobbit even more than Bilbo. "Although, I do believe your name was Anemone."

Anemone fondly smiled at her husband, "Nemo is just a nickname that only he uses, but you're welcome to use it as well."

Now that was a high honor in Seiko's opinion; names were something her people took sacredly, she'd try not to abuse it. Anemone pulled up a chair, and Bilbo adeptly served her some tasty tea.

"May I ask, what brings you round these parts?" Bilbo asked, taking a sip of tea. "Or rather, where might you be traveling?"

Pausing only to take a dainty sip of the fresh tea, Seiko set the cup down for a proper conversation. She supposed she must thank her mother for forcing her to take those etiquette classes. "I was first traveling south, although now my path might take me east to…. Eryn Lasgalen."

Not a complete lie, but not the whole truth either. She really didn't like lying to such a kind and welcoming host.

"Eryn Lasgalen?" The hobbit echoed back thoughtfully. "I don't believe I've heard of that place."

"Forgive me, that is the elvish term for it," Seiko replied, intentionally catching his interest. "It's also known as the Great Greenwood, where Silvan and Sindar Elves dwell, ruled by the Elvenking Thranduil."

"Elves, you say?!" Bilbo cried in great enthusiasm, before composing himself. "Excuse me, I take… great delight in learning things such as that."

Nemo merely sipped her tea with a sly hint of a smile. She could see the female hobbit was also interested in such topics yet refrained from mentioning it.

Seiko giggled, allowing for relaxing in the pleasant home. "Have no worry, I encourage learners to ask questions after questions. Ask and receive."

Bilbo only left his seat twice in the few hours they were together, once to refill the plate and once to gather a map upon her request. Even still, the conversations and questions barely slowed, Bilbo asked the majority of the questions but Nemo pitched in a few times. Curiosity from the hobbits won over their usual performance of a proper and dignified gentle-hobbit of BagEnd. Yes, she saw right through them.

"Have you ever traveled to the south, perhaps near the Horse-lands of Rohan or Gondor?"

"I have, a long time ago."

"What are the Elves like?"

"The ones in Rivendell and Lorien are fair and wise. The Woodland Elves are a bit fiercer in their reasoning."

"Where have you not traveled?"

"I've never visited the Avari Elves in the Far East, and Rhûn I have not seen. Once, I even traveled to Mordor, although I stayed for a very little time."

"Have you seen the Sea?"

"My home is near the Ocean, dear Hobbit."

"Can you speak Elvish?"

"Quenya and Sindarin. I can only read the old Teleri script."

"Have you been to any of the Dwarven lands?"

"Only a few times."

"Where do you hail from?"

At that particular question, Seiko merely smiled coyly, taking another sip. "That, I'm afraid, will have to be answered with a map."

Without any hesitation, Nemo hopped to her feet, scurrying about to locate a map. After a minute or two of searching, the hobbit returned with a wrinkled and dusty map in her hands. Obviously, no one had used it in a great deal of many years. Unrolling it, Bilbo set the map onto the wooden table. Leaning over, Seiko scanned over the images and words. It was a typical map one might have that overviewed the layout of Western Middle Earth. But her home was not typical.

"The country where I live and originate from is not on this map," Seiko said, amusedly watching Bilbo and Nemo try to figure out where she might live.

"To the Far East past Rhûn? No, no, she did mention she'd never visited the Avari, and they seem to dwell in the east. One of the ranger folk? Can't be, she wouldn't have stopped by here if she was one of the Dúnedain, they stick together. She's not an elf; she said that…" Bilbo muttered almost incomprehensively, pouring over the map.

"I don't think she's from near the Iron Hills; I believe only Dwarves live there," Nemo chipped in, peering over Bilbo's shoulder.

Seiko laughed gaily, deciding not to torment the poor hobbits any longer. "You are quite intelligent! I shall tell you, I hail from the High North, far above the Forodwaith and the Icebay of Forochel. See now! Look there, where those places are marked."

His eyes went wide in amazement. "That far north? Not even the Dúnedain travel past the North Mountains!"

"With good reason, my people have warned them not to cross our borders," Seiko said with a tad more serious tone to her voice. "Yes, I assure you, the snowy lands is where I was born and live."

Bilbo still couldn't believe Seiko had come from the high north. "But who could live there?" He asked himself incredulously. "Unless…. You're one of the…"

Seiko grinned, giving him two thumbs up. "Quite correct! Just don't tell anyone yet, our secret for now, yes?"

Like the other hobbit, Bilbo gazed at her briefly with deep respect. "I'm honored one of your people has sought a night in my humble home. But I will respect your wishes and not treat you any differently."

She appreciated that. Nemo also nodded her head with respectful enthusiasm, remembering. With a start, Bilbo finally took notice of the time.

"Good heavens, the sun is setting! Dinner must be prepared!" Bilbo shot out of his chair, bustling around his kitchen.

Seiko also rose, determined to repay the hobbit for his outstandingly gracious hospitality. Initially, they protested, saying she was a welcomed guest. However, Seiko insisted on assisting them, she refused to mooch off the hobbits, and she did genuinely want to help. Bilbo accepted her aid, and she found herself not knowing entirely how to cook in a hobbit hole.

"No, wait!" Seiko stomped her foot in aggravation. "I can figure this out!" Seiko refused to be bested by a toaster of all things.

Nemo only watched from the other side of the kitchen in utter amusement. "Do you not have toasters in the Forochel lands?"

Seiko just grunted in annoyance. "We don't often eat toast; it's quite hard to grow grain and wheat there."

In the end, the toaster won the battle, and Seiko sulked by the table, envying Nemo's mastery of that cursed object. Night had fallen, the fire crackled warmly, and the three sat to eat the tasty meal prepared by Bilbo and Nemo. Seiko's culinary skills were horrible, even among her people. She recalled her brother laughing uproariously over her failed attempt of baking a cake for her mother's birthday once.

The doorbell rang.

Seiko had the slight suspicion of who it might be, but Bilbo seemed quite perplexed. Confused, he carefully made his way to the door, opening it to reveal a burly and wild bald dwarf. Unfortunately, Seiko was right in her gut. They were in for a rough night.

"Dwalin, at your service," the dwarf gave the standard greeting, bowing his head.

At least, the usual dwarven introduction. Dwalin, she had heard that name before, many years ago. He was somehow related to Thorin Oakenshield. Now she remembered! His father was Fundin, who was slain at the Gates of Moria in the Battle of Azanulbizar. Seiko distantly recalled hearing about that Pyrrhic victory from her father.

Bilbo faltered for a moment before straightening and tying his house robe securely. "Bilbo Baggins, at yours. Do we know each other?"

The large dwarf named Dwalin pushed his way into the door, shoving his heavy overcoat onto Bilbo.

"No. Which way is it then laddie?" He gruffly asked, glancing around. "Is it down here?"

"Which way is what?" Bilbo stammered, wobbling from the sudden weight of the dwarvish garments.

Dwalin merely looked back at the hobbit as if he were an idiot. "Supper. He'd said there'd be food and lots of it."

"W-who said?"

Seiko choked on her milk chamomile tea, almost spitting it out. Oh, no…. Poor Bilbo and Nemo. She did pity the hobbit couple if what she suspected was about to happen. Dwalin entered the kitchen and finally noticed her presence, regarded her strangely.

"I'm surprised you've married a woman from the race of men, I would not have thought so," Dwalin said quite boldly.

Seiko again choked on her tea, of all the assumptions she had thought of, that was not one of them. Nemo snickered rather heartily behind her hand, although Dwalin couldn't see her from the other room. Bilbo shrieked in shock, clearly both stunned and affronted.

"D-d-dear Mr. D-D-Dwalin!" Bilbo protested, stomping his foot indignantly. "I'd appreciate if you would not make such wild accusations against other guests in my house!"

"Mr. Bilbo is correct, Sir Dwalin," Seiko agreed with the flustered hobbit. "I am merely a traveler who sought shelter for the night, and he kindly provided it for me. Lady Anemone is Mr. Baggins' wife."

Luckily, the Dwarf had some manners, as he appeared slightly ashamed and bashful of his actions. "My apologies, Master Hobbit and fair ladies."

However, it didn't take long for the incident to pass from their minds and Dwalin to begin eating. Unfortunately, it was Bilbo's meal that Dwalin's eyes fell towards. No matter how bad Seiko felt for her lovely host, Bilbo's face was priceless as he gazed longingly at his lost dinner. Seiko snickered lightly, setting aside some of her dinner to save for the hobbit. As Dwalin munched on his stolen meal, Seiko wrinkled her nose a bit. Dwarves were messy eaters, and this was only one. She shuddered, imagining the mess a whole group of Dwarves would make. Nemo was already hiding the good West Farthing wine.

"Very good this is, anymore?" Dwalin asked after ripping off the fried fish's head and devouring it.

It took a minute for Bilbo to respond, as he (reluctantly) handed a bowl of bread rolls to the large dwarf, after taking two for himself. Dwalin made no effort to eat politely, but such was the way of Dwarves.

Bilbo leaned closer to Dwalin, "It's just, um, I wasn't expecting company."

And then, the bell rang. Again. With a coy smile, Dwalin nodded his head towards the sound. "That'll be the door."

Seiko remained sitting, except she had migrated to a corner outside of the kitchen where she would not so easily seen. She'd instead not blow her cover, not just yet. Still, she could see the door from her position. Nemo joined her, not wanting to get caught up anymore Dwarven "guests." The dwarf that was on the other side of the door was a bit shorter and wider around the middle than Dwalin, and his beard was much whiter.

"Balin, at your service," this dwarf introduced himself with a hidden hint of scholarly politeness, bowing.

Seiko wondered how many other dwarves would make an appearance tonight. She guessed… at least 10. Balin made his way into the hall, Bilbo already looking thoroughly weary from the night.

"Good evening," Bilbo managed to mutter out.

Balin smiled while glancing around. "Yes, yes it is. Although I think it might rain later." He stepped inside, leaning towards Bilbo as if he was telling him some great secret. "Am I late?"

Bilbo narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "Late for what?" He stressed out, wary of any details.

Balin ignored Bilbo as he spotted Dwalin, who was fiddling with…. something. It looked like a candle holder, but she couldn't be sure. "Oh!" Balin exclaimed heartily, walking forwards. "Evening Brother."

Dwalin made a deep chuckle, setting down the object he was fiddling with, "By my beard, you're shorter and wider than last we met."

"Wider, not shorter," Balin swiftly corrected his brother. "Sharp enough for both of us."

With a grin from the two, they clasped the other's shoulder with familial affection. Seiko winced already, knowing some of the Dwarven greeting customs. Sure enough, Dwalin and Balin crashed their heads together, hard enough Seiko would have given herself a 12-month long concussion, but the brothers were go-lucky fine. Both Bilbo and Nemo were visibly shocked, and Nemo was rubbing her forehead absentmindedly even though nothing had happened to her.

As the Dwarves raided Bilbo's pantry and the hobbit was trying to tell them subtly to leave, Seiko assisted Nemo in locking up some of the older and more delicate pieces of furniture. After all, dwarves could get quite loud in meetings such as the one about to occur. Nemo already suspected and was taking precautions. The door rang once more. Bilbo trudged his way to door with dejected apprehension. Seiko had to admit, the next two dwarves that appeared on the other side of the door were much younger than she'd think would come on such a quest. She imagined they were also brothers. Bilbo didn't open the door all the way this time.

"Fili," the golden-haired one announced, "and Kili," the dark-haired brother echoed. "At your service!" They proclaimed in unison, bowing harmoniously as well.

It was rather cute.

"You must be Mr. Boggins!" Kili said with a young, cheerful grin.

"Nope!" Bilbo immediately declared and began to close the door, "You can't come in; you've come to the wrong house."

Despite the hobbit's attempts, Kili stopped the closing of the door with a shocked and depressed puppy face look. "What? Has it been canceled?"

"No one told us," Fili poked his head through while chiming in.

"C-canceled?" Bilbo sputtered out, becoming more annoyed and confused by the minute. "No, nothing's been canceled!"

"Well that's a relief," Kili breathed, his contagious smile back as he and Fili pushed themselves inside.

Fili took some of his weapons off, fancily handing them all to Bilbo. "Careful with these, I've just had them sharpened."

Nemo scurried over, despite wanting to stay out the Dwarves' way and took some of the weapons out of her husband's arms, sharing the burden. They were still wobbling a bit with all the daggers and knives from the two new dwarves. Kili had already walked around, taking in the sights.

"It's nice, this place. Did you do it yourself?" Kili asked as he scrapped his boot off on an intricately carved wooden chest.

"What? No, it's been in the family for years - That's my mother's glory box, could you please not do that?!" Bilbo would have yanked Kili's boot off himself except that he was still holding all of Fili's and Kili's weapons.

"Fili, Kili, come and give us a hand," Dwalin popped out from around the corner and guided Kili to the dining room.

Seiko herself had now emerged from the shadows, having grabbed a cleaning wipe. She hastily scrubbed off the dirt left rudely from Kili's shoe. It's been a while since I've done something like this, she thought coyly to herself.

"At least that Dwarf didn't use my glory box; I might have blown a fuse," Nemo sighed wearily, still holding some of Fili's daggers.

Seiko smirked wryly; she wouldn't have a foggiest of the idea. She wasn't looking for a husband and wasn't planning to anytime soon. The doorbell rang again, and by this point, Bilbo was increasingly fed up with all the commotion.

"No, no, NO!" He shouted irritably while shoving all the weaponry onto the floor, rather peeved at the whole situation. "There's no one home! Go away and bother somebody else! There're far too many dwarves in my dining hall as it is!" Bilbo grumbled loudly as he stomped his way towards the round door. "I-if this is some blockhead's idea of a joke, I can only say, it's in VERY poor taste!" Bilbo concluded his rant as he yanked open the door.

And then, at least seven other dwarves fell into the house, all piled on top of one another and shouting amongst themselves. Seiko crouched down to spot an elderly man with a fantastic hat and a wooden staff behind all the bodies on the floor. Apparently, Bilbo had as well, and the hobbit sighed heavily.

"Gandalf."


	2. Hunter of the North

**I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. Neither do I own Peter Jackson's work with the movie series, because if I was the director there would have been some changes in the movie. But that's leading down a rabbit trail I don't want, so everybody clap your hands!**

* * *

Seiko knew her people got crazy when they threw parties, especially her family (and even more so her Aunt and Father), but these Dwarves were ridiculous. There was a difference in having a respectable party in another's home and plain out trashing it. However, they were dwarves, so Seiko did expect this. Nemo had wisely snuck some food away for her and Bilbo to eat later since the Dwarves were currently raiding the Baggins' pantry. Nemo had also hidden herself in a room in the far corners of the house, most likely not wanting to deal with the unexpected guests, she left that to her husband. Seiko had to stifle a giggle as she watched Bilbo dart around while trying to put order back into his home.

"That's my Grandfather Mungo's chair; it's an antique, not for sitting on!"

"Put that back, put that back!"

"Not the jam, please!"

"Take that back; that's delicate!"

"Put that down!"

Seiko decided it was high time she didn't ignore her Saika anymore. Bending down, she pulled on her ankle high brown boots, hearing the dwarves having a belching contest along with roars of rambunctious laughter in the hall. Seiko didn't mind dwarves in general, just the way they treated outsiders. She sighed a bit; it really was creeping up on her. She silently glided to where Nemo was hiding.

"Would you like to take a night stroll with me?" Seiko asked, gently knocking on the door.

Just as quietly as she had, Nemo emerged from the other side, nodding silently. Together, they skillfully wove their way between the dwarves, avoiding thick bodies and swinging plates of food. Reaching for the door handle, they only stopped when they heard a voice behind them.

"Excuse Ma'am's; I couldn't help but wonder what you might be out this late. It's quite dangerous this time of night, even in these parts."

Seiko whirled around, her white hair swishing elegantly behind her. It was the younger dwarf, with a slightly freckled face and smaller beard.

"Our business is our own, Dwarf," Seiko replied kindly, deciding she'd probably like this one. "But my thanks for the concern, Master…...?"

"Ori, Ori, my lady," Ori informed her politely.

Seiko smiled, giving him the slight dip of her head before exiting Bag End, disappearing into the night with Nemo soundlessly trailing behind her. She was certain Bilbo would panic over their departure, but she hoped Ori would have enough common sense to alert her host. Once she was sure she was far enough, she whistled. It was a high pitched, clear, and far-reaching whistle, one only her kind could hear. In the cover of the starry and night sky, she waited.

It was quite a lovely night. Seiko's white hair shone against the dark sky, only illuminated by the sparkling starts she so loved. The wind played with her, tossing her hair around and tickling her nose and cheeks, a rather refreshing and cool breeze. Their waiting wasn't long, soon a large white wolf, almost the size of an average horse, bounded into view. The wolf's fur was completely white, yet its eyes were an extremely dark emerald, so dark they almost appeared black. Nemo's eyes were wide, with awe and curiosity.

"Saika," Seiko grinned, reaching up to pat the wolf's head.

The wolf grunted, pawing Seiko's hand off. "You know I hate that."

"Which is why I do it," Seiko cackled, ducking to avoid her steed's swipe of the paw.

"You are fortunate I love you," Saika sniffed, holding her head up mockingly indignantly.

Seiko took Nemo and gently pushed her closer to Saika. "Nemo, this is my Forochel steed, Saika. She has been my companion and faithful friend for many years and trials. Saika, this is Anemone Baggins, my kind host. You can pet her if you wish."

Nemo merely bobbed her head in response, clearly nervous. "Forgive my reluctance to not, I consider it a great honor to meet one of the legendary Great Wolves of Forochel. Therefore I cannot even lay a finger on her."

Saika smugly turned her head in Seiko's direction, "Did you hear that? I'm honored and respected."

"Don't let your ego get any bigger than it already is," Seiko lightly whacked her wolf's head, a smile on her lips. "You're already so insufferable."

"Then how much longer must I remain in the shadows, hiding away like a thief in the dark?" Saika grumped, quite unhappy. "I am not a dumb, lowly wolf scavenging for scraps. I am one of the Great Talking Wolves of the North, proudly bearing one of the mythical Hunters of the Forochel."

Seiko smiled softly, not liking the arrangement either. She tossed a large hunk of meat she guiltily swiped from Bilbo's kitchen to Saika in appeasement. "I hope not for much longer, yet you know the idiocy of dwarves. Give me some time."

Saika sighed dramatically, flopping onto her stomach. "I say just scaring their wits out of their short stubborn selves, but whatever the master says, goes."

Seiko rolled her eyes playfully. "And you call me dramatic. Quit calling me master; I don't own you, you know very well I do not like being called that."

"Which is why I do it," Saika grinned cheekily, her canine teeth gleaming in the murky blackness of night, before leaving to find a place to sleep.

Seiko snorted under her breath, sometimes her wolf's irony cracked her up, and sometimes annoyed the hell out of her. That's the life she supposed. Nemo had observed the entire exchange with a fond gaze, pleased. The night grew longer, Seiko and Nemo started to make their way back to the Hobbit hole.

"Thank you, Miss Seiko," Nemo said suddenly, her voice breaking the stillness of the soft night.

Seiko faltered in her steps only for a moment, glancing back at the lady hobbit behind her. "And why do you say that?"

Nemo smiled, in a sort of a wise way, one you'd expect from an older hobbit with years of experience. "For trusting me enough that you'd allow me to meet your Wolf. I know the legends and stories, Bilbo merely studied the maps and descriptions. He did not study the few tales of the old north in detail, but I have." Nemo paused for a moment, glancing up at the stars wistfully. Her pale cheeks glowed in the moonlight, and her pale red-gold hair had come loose from its ribbon, flowing freely in the wind. "I remember reading about how allowing an outsider to meet their steed, much less even touch them, was a symbol of great trust from the Forochels. I am highly honored but allow me to earn that right first."

Perhaps Seiko had misjudged her, Nemo was far wiser and intelligent than Seiko initially believed. With a nod, Seiko agreed. "If that is your wish, I will uphold you to it. I will be the judge. Of course, you'll find me much less secretive than others of my race."

With a shake of the hands, the promise was sealed, and they finally reached their destination. As Seiko herself drew nearer to the door, she heard rhythmic thumping and a strange melody made from metal utensils and pottery.

"What in the world…." Seiko muttered to herself, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

The moment she opened the door, Bilbo's panicked voice reached her ears. Never a good sign.

"That's my mother's West Farthing pottery; it's over a hundred years old!"

"Belladonna's prized pottery?" Nemo shrieked, horrified, and sprinted forward to rescue her mother-in-law's precious dishes from Fili. "Master Dwarf! Please stop tossing my mother-in-law's bowls and ware!" Nemo's desperate pleas went unheard.

In the dining hall, where Seiko eventually managed to squeeze herself into, the dwarves were playing with the metal forks and knives, using them as melody makers. Seiko slightly winced at a memory she recalled, of when her mother whipped her ass after she played with her food and eating utensils as a child. That was the last time she ever did that.

"Can you please not do that? You'll blunt them!" Bilbo called out, noticing the happenings of his knives and forks.

"Ooooh! You hear that lads?" The dwarf with the floppy hat said mischievously, still thumping the knives on the table. "He said we'll blunt the knives!"

Cue the singing, starting from the dwarf named Kili.

"_Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth, tread on the fat_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

_Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowls_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole_

_When you're finished if they are whole_

_Send them down the hall to roll_

Seiko had to admit, the company of dwarves was quite talented in their theatrics, tossing the dishes into the air and to the other expertly. She even admired the catchy tune they were singing, despite Bilbo's great distress, she could appreciate a good song now and then. Nemo was handling herself rather well, hiding in the far corner of the kitchen after rescuing the more expensive pieces of the pottery. Seiko settled herself into a chair a bit away from the gaggle of dwarves, eye level with many of them now.

"Rather amusing, don't you think, Olórin?" She asked the wizard next to her.

The Istari made a deep chuckle from his chest. "If one looks at it from the right, but maybe not from the left or the back."

Seiko laughed, taking a sip of the fruity red wine the gray braided haired dwarf gave her, Dori was it?. "Always in riddles!"

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

The song concluded as Bilbo pushed his way through the group of loud and laughing dwarves, only to find all of his dishes sparkling clean and stacked on his table. Gandalf had a broad smile on his face, showing Bilbo no harm had come to his treasured dishes. Seiko swished her wine in her cup absentmindedly, wondering when the lost king would arrive. She supposed he had a right to make his grand appearance away from everyone else's; she'd have to see what kind of Dwarf he was.

"I do wonder, Thorin Oakenshield," Seiko murmured almost silently under her breath, "if you'll be like your grandfather Thror, blind, greedy and mad; or be a king that is also a noble leader, one with whom I'd be willing to extend goodwill."

Three harsh thumps to the door.

The entire hobbit hole fell silent. Gandalf swept his eyes over the occupants gravely.

"He is here."

It was Nemo who hurriedly leaped from her chair and opened the door, revealing a dark-haired, strong jawed and regal bearing dwarf. He wore a furred coat, with a black cloak hanging down his back. On his hand was a thick and bulky ring, one that seemed to make for a dwarf. She recognized it; it was one of the Dwarven Rings of Power, the ring of King Durin III. And by her glance towards Gandalf, he knew it as well.

"Gandalf," Thorin's voice was deep and held a commanding tone. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice," Thorin entered the house, the dwarves still keeping silent. "I wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

"Mark?" Bilbo said in confusion, stepping forward to catch a glimpse at his door. "There's no mark on that door; I painted it a week ago."

"There is a mark," Gandalf cut in quickly while closing the round green door. "I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Thorin cast a stony stare down onto Bilbo, handing his cloak to Kili. Seiko, hidden in a corner with Nemo, could only foresee cold judgment.

"So, this is the hobbit," Thorin said, silently assessing Bilbo. "Tell me, Mr. Baggins," Thorin started to circle Bilbo as a vulture would to his prey, "Have you done much fighting?"

Bilbo only turned around to follow Thorin's steps. "What?"

"Axe or sword, what's your weapon of choice?" Thorin continued his interrogation, although his eyes hinted he had no faith in Bilbo.

"Well, I do have some skill in conkers," Bilbo replied, obviously a bit nervous under Thorin's steely gaze. "But I fail to see why that's relevant."

Seiko was quite displeased with Thorin's lack of courtesy.

Thorin's eyes held mock and scorned Bilbo, turning his head towards the other dwarves. "I thought as much. He's more of a grocer than a burglar."

This earned ill laughter from the others dwarves, and Seiko's opinion of him was going farther down the drain.

"I do believe you're quite rude, Oakenshield," Seiko spoke up, stepping forward into the light and closer to Bilbo. "Hobbits are peaceful folk, protected in the Shire. There is no need for them to battle against Orcs and goblins. Master Baggins has also graciously allowed his home to be used by you and your fellow dwarves," Seiko said the last word like it as a disease, and she made sure Thorin heard her. "A little respect to your host might be nice."

The entirety of Thorin's demeanor showed he most did not like being talked back to. "And who are you?" He demanded, taking a menacing step forward, his footstep echoing throughout the hole.

Seiko did not even flinch, but having great satisfaction that she was able to look down on practically everyone, Gandalf is the only one taller than her. "You may call me Muzhestvo, and Gandalf has requested I aid you in your quest."

"And why would I allow a woman, who cannot fend for herself and will be a burden, join my company?" Thorin all but growled lowly, his eyes hard.

Seiko was stubborn. She knew it, her parents knew it, and her whole family knew it. Heck, everyone who knew her knew she was incredibly stubborn. And now, Thorin Oakenshield was about to learn it. "I have not lived hundreds of years to be dissed by a child who cannot see the light in others. That tongue of yours will land you in trouble one day."

Thorin's eyes flashed in anger, hearing her words. "You've lived for hundreds of years, you say?" He snapped his head harshly towards Gandalf. "You dare bring an elf along on my quest?! I will die before I allow an elf to travel with us!"

"Does Muzhestvo sound like an Elvish name? Nay, I am not one of the Elven folk, Oakenshield!" Seiko replied with her eyes narrowed apprehensively.

"Prove it then!" Thorin demanded sharply. "Show me your ears!"

This. This was something Seiko had not wanted to do at all; she hadn't wanted to reveal her identity so quickly, although she supposed she was the one who forced it. So in technicality, it was her fault. Remembering the entire house was waiting for her to prove her statement correct, she (very reluctantly) pulled the hair framing her face back, showing her ears. Loud and collective gasps of shock resounded among the dwarves, only the wizard and two hobbits were unsurprised.

For where usually ears would be placed, there was none. Instead, an inch or a half higher than the regular spot of the ear's location was a pair of fluffy white wolf ears. She was no elf, nor dwarf or from the race of men. She was not a hobbit, orc, goblin, Maiar, or wraith.

"What sort of devilry is this?!" Dwalin shouted, readying his axe that he somehow picked up and moved to defend his king.

Balin took a faint step forward, ignoring the calls of his brother and fellow dwarves. "I-if I'm not mistaken," he began with a diplomatic sort of tone, "You're one of the Hunters of the North, from the Forochel lands."

Seiko nodded her head, pleased the old tales were not all forgotten. "You are correct, Sir Balin, son of Fundin. I am from the high Forodwaith of the icy north."

Thorin glared lowly at her, "I do not care if she is one of the old Hunters or not! She is a woman who will slow us down!"

"I do not appreciate these accusations. I am an able warrior, trained since before your ancestors were born, you'd do well not to doubt me," Seiko lightly hissed, annoyed with his behavior.

"Who are you to say that to Thorin, son of-" Gloin began, indignant on his king's behalf.

"Thrain, son of Thror," Seiko cut off the bald dwarf abruptly, her arms crossed, unamused. "I know the lineage, my people traded with Thror before the madness consumed him. Now, why don't we all reconvene in the dining hall," she proposed, her tone full of finality.

Although distrustful and put off, Thorin led his company into the hall, Seiko only following after the last of the dwarves settled into the room. The Dwarves gathered again around the table, with Thorin at the head of it all. Seiko supposed it was a King's spot, but to her, Thorin would have to prove that without mere words. She stood since there was very little room for her to sit. Nemo also stood, trying to conceal herself from Thorin's sight by using Seiko's taller and slimmer body to shield her. Seiko had to admit, Nemo was doing a reasonably good job since Thorin hadn't taken complete note of Mrs. Baggins' presence, showing the stealthy aspect of Hobbits.

"What of the meeting in Ered Luin?" Balin started the conversation, finally getting to business. "Did they all come?"

"Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms," Thorin replied, glancing up from his belated meal.

This earned murmurs and words of agreement and gladness, a spark of hope ignited. She had a feeling though that the Dwarven Kingdoms would not stand together.

"And what of the Dwarves from the Iron Hills? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin looked at Thorin with hopeful expectancy.

However, Thorin only set down his spoon, heaving a deep sigh. "They will not come."

Sounds and groans of dismay erupted from the other Dwarves as they sank deeper into their chairs.

"They say this quest is ours, and ours alone."

More sighs of disappointment.

"You're, going on a quest?" Bilbo intervened curiously, wondering what the talk was about.

Gandalf cleared his throat and a spot on the table. "Bilbo, my good fellow, let us have a little more light," Gandalf instructed while pulling out an old and frayed map.

"Far to the East," Gandalf explained to the two hobbits in the room. "Over rivers and ridges, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak."

Dwalin, Thorin, Gloin, and the dwarf named Dori were still rather pissed at her. Bilbo, having fetched a candle, peered over Thorin's shoulder, straining to read the faded text.

"The….. Lonely Mountain."

"Erebor," Seiko whispered to Nemo, who had a strange glance of recognition in her eyes.

"Aye!" Gloin spoke up, leaning forward to gain everyone's attention. "Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time!"

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as it was foretold," the dwarf Seiko assumed to be Oin agreed with his brother.

"When the birds of yore return to Erebor," Seiko said, mostly to herself but she was aware she was speaking aloud. "The reign of the beast will end."

Dori shot her a suspicious glance, "How did you know that?"

A sly and coy smile danced on Seiko's lips, "There are a great many things I know, and many things I do not."

It wasn't a complete answer, but she was no inclined to give them one. Dori just shot her a nasty look and turned his attention back to the matter at hand. Seiko had decided it: this would be quite an amusing journey.

* * *

**A note about the wolf ears: She is NOT a neko girl! I know that with the animal ears, you might think "oh no she's a stupid neko girl!" NO that is not the case! Her lineage will be explained later on in the story, and while she does have animal ears, Seiko's folk are not the neko girls of anime. She does not end her sentences with "meow," nor does she want to be petted. So, while to some the wolf ears seemed quite alarming at first, have no fear, she will NOT be a ditzy neko character. Already you might be able to see that, as Balin referenced her people as "the Hunters of the North." Last time I checked, neko girls weren't active hunters. **


	3. Dragon Hunter

**I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. Neither do I own Peter Jackson's work with the movie series, because last time I checked I was not an author of extreme magnificence or an accomplished movie director. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Noticeably, Bilbo's head popped up and he cautiously entered his hall where the rest of the Dwarves convened.

"Umm, what beast?" Bilbo asked with slight hesitation.

With a mischievous glint in the floppy-hatted dwarf's eye, Bofur took the pipe from his mouth to give Bilbo a detailed description. "Oh well, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age." His words sent somber tones across the table, Seiko somewhat included. "Airborne fire breather, teeth like razors," Bofur continued, smirking lightly so only the sharpest of eyes could detect it. "Claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals."

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo hastily injected, tugging at his suspensions.

Suddenly, Ori shot up in his seat, displaying a show of shaky confidence. "I'm not afraid! I'll shove some Dwarfish iron right up his backside!"

Both cheers and murmurs of approval and disapproval were heard and one of Ori's older brothers yanked him down back into his seat.

Balin of course, ruined the mood by stating that the 13 Dwarves were not indeed the brightest nor the best. Seiko honestly agreed but she'd wait and see, to see the worth in Dwarves her friend claimed they had. Nemo still stood behind Seiko, tapping her fingernails together lightly, Seiko suspected it was just fidgeting. Fili quieted the din by reminding the company of the fact they were fierce (and very stubborn) fighters to the death.

"And you forget we have a wizard in our company!" Kili burst out in grand gusto. "Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!"

Seiko had great difficulty smothering her laughter at Gandalf's stammering and the Dwarves' loud insistence on a number.

"Oh no… well I… uh," Gandalf stuttered, taking the pipe out of his mouth and coughing smoke. "Seiko?" He finally asked, unsubtly diverting the conversation to her.

She raised an eyebrow. "What about me, Gandalf?" Seiko asked back sassily.

"What about you? How many dragons have you slain?" Gandalf was smiling cleverly behind his bushy grey beard.

"I believe you already know the answer to that, _Haiiromadoushi_." Seiko knew exactly what he was doing.

Kili, one of the younger baby dwarves, whipped his head around at her in shock and awe. "You're a dragon slayer?! Have you ever hunted dragons?"

Seiko admitted to herself that she was tickled by his youthfulness and adorableness. "Twice, a long time ago. Although I wasn't the one who eventually killed those vile dragons, I was part of the hunting party. And that is all I will say, you will nothing further out of me," Seiko swiftly ended the topic, and made sure her tone projected finality and stubbornness of the subject. "No matter how hard you try."

Apparently, Nemo was a fan of the dragon stories of old, no matter how horrible they were. Seiko made a mental reminder to tell Nemo of all the dragon fighting stories about her aunt and uncle. Her aunt especially was an active Dragon Hunter a few thousand years ago. Despite Seiko's firmness, the Dwarves continued to clamber and shout amongst themselves, whether they were arguing or discussing something, Seiko couldn't tell. Finally, it seemed Thorin had had enough, and he shot to his feet, yelling at his company to shut up.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have too?" Thorin swept a hard look over his fellow kinsmen. "Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years, eyes look east towards Erebor, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk," he continued, exhibiting his good public speaking skills. "Perhaps our vast wealth now lies unprotected, do we let others claim what is rightfully ours, or do we take this chance to take back Erebor?!" Thorin concluded with a rousing fist, his fellow dwarves adding their own cheers. "_To arms_! _To arms_!" He additionally shouted in Khuzdul, a rare speech that only Dwarves knew.

"You forget, the front gate is sealed," Balin cut into the noises of excitement, effectively sobering the mood again. "There is no way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf revealed, twirling a thick metal key in his hands.

Thorin gazed at the metal key in awe and lingering hope. "How you came by this?"

And as Gandalf gave his explanation and hand Thorin the key, Seiko's thoughts wandered. Mostly, she started to leave the hall, with Nemo trailing behind her. It was the first time the Dwarves besides Dwalin noticed the Lady of the House.

"And who is this lovely lass?" Kili asked with a small wink.

Nemo was unimpressed. "You may call me Mrs. Baggins, Master Kili," Nemo said politely, hints of coolness underneath her tone.

Her marital status did not go unnoticed by the company as Nemo and Seiko swept back into the kitchen, where Nemo had hidden a small strawberry cake in the upper cupboard. Seiko graciously retrieved for the lady hobbit and watched hungrily as Nemo cut two pieces and then poured some sweet milk into two azure colored mugs.

"Well, it's been an exciting night," Seiko grinned and grimaced at the same time. "Me, a dragon slayer? Bah! How ridiculous! I've only helped hunt the dragons, never have I ever killed one. Do you know how hard it is to slay a dragon?!"

"I'd imagine it is quite difficult," Nemo agreed, taking a sip from her mug. "Are there any dragon slayers still alive?"

Seiko took a bite of the cake, deeeeeeeeelicious. "Very few. My aunt and uncle fought in the old wars, slaying many of the dragons, and the Elvenking. I can't say for sure if that's all of the slayers from my people, but dragons have not been seen this far south in thousands of years, with an exception or two. Elves and Dwarves have extremely few weapons capable of bringing down a dragon anyways."

Nemo's eyes were fascinated, obviously brimming with inquiries about dragon stories. "What kind of weapons can kill a dragon?"

Seiko glanced back at the hall, where discussions were still being held before giving her undivided attention to Nemo. "Iron weapons can kill Eastern Dragons, who are severely weakened in the presence of that particular metal. On the other hand, Western Dragons are more aggressive, and their scales are much thicker and harder. Thus, a weapon made from uranium combined with several magical spells could harm a Western dragon. However, although uranium is harmfully radioactive to most species, it is very brittle, so the blacksmiths of our legend fused uranium with steel to create the uranium weapons stronger and less breakable. Uranium is a metal only found so far in the Buyouno Akari Mountains, the furthermost northern mountains in my land, and Eastern Dragons don't venture this far west, thus the mortals and Elves here most likely have not the knowledge of iron's capabilities.

"Elves once forged weapons made from black steel that could kill dragons during the First Age. However, when Beleriand sank beneath the waves, all those weapons were lost as was the mines where black steel was found. Only one remains, in Erebor. Even so, it had very little black steel left, and now Smaug rules the Mountain. Uranium is the other option for metal since the radioactivity weakens Western Dragons. My people have the most experience with fighting the drakes since the Withered Heath lies near our borders, where many of the evil dragons breed."

Nemo just sat there, in taking the hefty amount of information Seiko just threw at her. The lady of Bag End took another sip of her warm milk.

"Quite intriguing, I did not know the art of dragon-slaying weapons was that intricate," Nemo mused quietly while she gently set the dishes into the washing basin and hid the remaining cake again.

A sneaky smirk threatened to expose itself onto Seiko's lips. "If you want to hear more information about dragons, I suppose you'll have to come with me on this little quest Thorin Oakenshield has been piecing together," Seiko went for the lure and bait.

Nemo sighed quietly, tapping her fingernails again against the wooden table. "Bilbo doesn't desire to set off for an adventure, I could already see that from when the Dwarves first arrived."

"Perhaps a little persuasion from the wife?"

Nemo shook her head, her pale golden-red waves twirling from the movement. "I doubt Thorin would allow me to accompany them on his quest, even if I signed the contract. I'm no fighter."

Seiko smiled softly, rising from her chair and gently placed her hand on the hobbit's head. "I sense a warrior spirit in you, 'kill them with kindness' is my mother's favorite saying."

Nemo smiled in return in a kind gesture, but then they heard a body thump onto the floor. Nemo dashed out of the room, leaving Seiko in a whirl of dust. _Oh well, I'm ninety nine percent they'll come on this adventure anyway, Bilbo's curious nature won't be suppressed by Bag End for much longer, and Nemo's inquisitive mind will follow his no matter what_, Seiko's thoughts schemed while she made her way into the hall, where she saw Bilbo fainted and Nemo trying to revive him and drag his limp body to the sitting room.

"Oh dear," Seiko muttered under her breath, effortlessly swooping down and scooping Bilbo into her arms, carrying him into the sitting room and setting him down like a slumbering baby. "Brew him some of that chamomile, it'll help wake him up," Seiko advised, returning to the hall.

Her arrival was still met with a mixture of hostility, curiosity, and coldness. Thorin silently assessed her, meeting her emerald eyes with his stormy grey-blue ones. She didn't back down. Then the Dwarf Prince ordered Balin to give her a copy of the contract. Her keen eyes quickly scanned over the contents, seeming it to be fair.

A smirk prickled on her lips. "A share of the treasure you say?"

Balin nodded in confirmation, "Tis only fair that way."

"Then if we do, hypothetically, reclaim Erebor, I'd like to stake a claim on certain treasures if not already taken," Seiko requested, holding the quill right above the contract parchment.

"We can come to an arrangement," Balin diplomatically smiled. "Depending on the treasures."

His crafted words were excellently constructed. "I want the White Starlight Gems of Lasgalen," Seiko said, earning her an angry and suspicious glare from Thorin.

"Why do you want those particular gems?!" Thorin asked sharply. "A spy for the Elvenking perhaps?! Speak now!"

She raised an eyebrow, "I am not a spy for him."

"Then why those gems?!" Thorin pressed harder. "He too desired those jewels."

Seiko suppressed an exasperated sigh, this dwarf would annoy her to death. "Long ago, they belonged to my dear friend. Maybe it's just my guilty conscience that wants to give them back to her family now that she's gone."

Thorin remained silent at her reply and sat back down. Balin gave her a sympathetic look before locking eyes briefly with his leader. "Very well, you may have those gems," Balin decreed, writing it down. "Anything else?"

"The Lossëríë and the Ilmatuilë, that's all I desire from the mountain," Seiko concluded.

"Those are also Elvish treasures, why would you ask for those crowns?" Nori asked, mostly out of curiosity and not suspicion.

Seiko thought of ancient treasures that she had never seen. "Those names are merely the common names for those crowns, Fëanor gave them Quenya names when he first saw them, and that is what history refers them to. They are originally Forochel treasures. The Lossëríë is called Yukikanmuri in my tongue, and the Ilmatuilë the Haruhoshiakari."

"What a mouthful," Kili muttered under his breath, before silencing under Seiko's withering glare.

Ori appeared to be quite intrigued with her explanations, appearing to be more a scholar than a warrior Dwarf. "How did they come to Erebor?"

She smiled coyly, knowing she'd like this one. "I believe that's a story for another night on the road, I'll save it for a night around a warm fire and under the glittering stars."

Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin had been silently communicating back and forth with each other before Balin nodded and turned his attention back on her with another sense of diplomacy. "Before we set off in the morning, we the company would like to ask you some questions in front of the whole group, to guarantee your trustworthiness."

Seiko wasn't too fond of that idea but she decided she'd humor them anyway. "Only four, the rest you'll have to earn from me later."

"Name?" That one was Thorin's, ever the one to inquire that.

"Muzhestvo, didn't I already say this?"

"Race?" Dwalin interrogated.

"Ookami from the Forochel Kingdom of the High North."

"Preferred weapon?" Gloin pitched in his two cents.

"Tanto knives and bow and arrows."

"Purpose for agreeing to join us?" Seiko thought Balin's was the best and most sensible question of the night.

"Politically it's beneficial for my people, to possibly establish trade with Erebor," Seiko explained carelessly. "Maybe I'm also seeking adventure, and helping some lost Dwarves."

Balin and Fili seemed satisfied with her answer, although others such as Dwalin and Dori were not. Despite her lack of complete answers, Thorin led his company into the parlor, where they either sat or stood, basking in the silence of night after a well-eaten meal. Seiko stood in the darker corner of the room, taking her own assessment of the company of Dwarves. She'd have to watch out for Ori, Kili, and Fili since she assumed they were the younger and fresher Dwarves. She had a grudging respect for Balin and Oin, and she was quite amused by the Ur Dwarves.

With her enhanced ears, Seiko heard Nemo bustling around in the guest bedrooms and closets, finding blankets and pillows, presumably for the Dwarves' overnight stay. Events were happening quickly. Thus began the somber and solemn tune, a ballad of the Burning of Erebor. Thorin began the haunting melody, with his folk carrying the song along. In all actuality, it was a lovely song, if not dark and gloomy.

_Far over the Misty Mountains cold,_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old,_

_We must away, ere break of day,_

_To seek our pale enchanted gold._

_The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,_

_While hammers fell like ringing bells,_

_In places deep, where dark things sleep,_

_In hollow halls beneath the fells._

_For ancient king and elvish lord_

_There many a gleaming golden hoard_

_They shaped and wrought, and light they caught,_

_To hide in gems on hilt of sword._

_On silver necklaces they strung_

_The flowering stars, on crowns they hung_

_The dragon-fire, on twisted wire_

_They meshed the light of moon and sun._

_Far over the Misty Mountains cold,_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old,_

_We must away, ere break of day,_

_To claim our long-forgotten gold._

_Goblets they carved there for themselves,_

_And harps of gold, where no man delves_

_There lay they long, and many a song_

_Was sung unheard by men or elves._

_The pines were roaring on the heights,_

_The wind was moaning in the night,_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread,_

_The trees like torches blazed with light._

_The bells were ringing in the dale,_

_And men looked up with faces pale._

_The dragon's ire, more fierce than fire,_

_Laid low their towers and houses frail._

_The mountain smoked beneath the moon._

_The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom._

_They fled the hall to dying fall_

_Beneath his feet, beneath the moon._

_Far over the Misty Mountains grim,_

_To dungeons deep and caverns dim,_

_We must away, ere break of day,_

_To win our harps and gold from him!_

_The wind was on the withered heath,_

_But in the forest stirred no leaf:_

_There shadows lay be night or day,_

_And dark things silent crept beneath._

_The wind came down from mountains cold,_

_And like a tide it roared and rolled._

_The branches groaned, the forest moaned,_

_And leaves were laid upon the mould._

_The wind went on from West to East;_

_All movement in the forest ceased._

_But shrill and harsh across the marsh,_

_Its whistling voices were released._

_The grasses hissed, their tassels bent,_

_The reeds were rattling-on it went._

_O'er shaken pool under heavens cool,_

_Where racing clouds were torn and rent._

_It passed the Lonely Mountain bare,_

_And swept above the dragon's lair:_

_There black and dark lay boulders stark,_

_And flying smoke was in the air._

_It left the world and took its flight_

_Over the wide seas of the night._

_The moon set sail upon the gale,_

_And stars were fanned to leaping light._

_Under the Mountain dark and tall,_

_The King has come unto his hall!_

_His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread,_

_And ever so his foes shall fall!_

_The sword is sharp, the spear is long,_

_The arrow swift, the Gate is strong._

_The heart is bold that looks on gold;_

_The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong._

_The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,_

_While hammers fell like ringing bells_

_In places deep, where dark things sleep,_

_In hollow halls beneath the fells._

_On silver necklaces they strung_

_The light of stars, on crowns they hung_

_The dragon-fire, from twisted wire_

_The melody of harps they wrung._

_The mountain throne once more is freed!_

_O! Wandering folk, the summons heed!_

_Come haste! Come haste! Across the waste!_

_The king of friend and kin has need._

_Now call we over the mountains cold,_

_'Come back unto the caverns old!'_

_Here at the gates the king awaits,_

_His hands are rich with gems and gold._

_The king has come unto his hall_

_Under the Mountain dark and tall._

_The Wyrm of Dread is slain and dead,_

_And ever so our foes shall fall!_

_Farewell we call to hearth and hall!_

_Though wind may blow and rain may fall,_

_We must away, ere break of day_

_Far over the wood and mountain tall._

_To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell_

_In glades beneath the misty fell._

_Through moor and waste we ride in haste,_

_And whither then we cannot tell._

_With foes ahead, behind us dread,_

_Beneath the sky shall be our bed,_

_Until at last our toil be passed,_

_Our journey done, our errand sped._

_We must away! We must away!_

_We ride before the break of day!_

Seiko remembered. She remembered hearing of the tragedy that had fallen onto the Great Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. She heard of the horrendous actions of Smaug the Terrible, news of the raging fire and destruction reached even the High Forochel Lands. The Council had debated on sending the two dragon slayers left in the north to fight the fire drake but ultimately decided the risk was too great. And now the niece of the last living of the dragon slayers was adventuring on a quest that might kill her at the end. Either way, Seiko sensed something was moving in the shadows unseen, only a small premonition, but enough to be wary. It was a prickling that she had felt, hundreds of years ago. And it was one she had hoped she'd never have to feel again.

After the little sing-along by the fire, the Dwarves retired for the night, finding places to sleep all over the floor. Gandalf slept in his chair, while Bilbo passed out on a sofa nearby, and Nemo crashed somewhere in another room. The Hobbit Hole was silent, only the singing of crickets echoed throughout the house. Seiko tucked her signed contract in what she assumed Balin's travel satchel and snuck stealthily out of Bag End. It was well past midnight now, and the moon shone in all her brilliance. Seiko loved the nighttime, especially the stillness and peace. She made her way to the woods where Saika resided.

Upon Seiko arrival into the woods, Saika perked her head up. "I see you've finally returned."

"You'll have to stay hidden for a while," Seiko admitted, smiling sheepishly.

If Saika had an eyebrow, it would be raised so high. "I'm guessing they know who you are, idiot."

"They'd probably die of a heart attack if they saw you right now," Seiko laughed quietly, settling herself next to Saika's warm side. "They say they know the old tales, but I sincerely doubt they remember that a Hunter rarely goes anywhere without their loyal steed."

Saika snorted, resting her head on her snowy white paws. "Now I really want to scare them. Oyasuminasai."

"Oyasuminasai, Saika."

* * *

**Chapter 3! More of Seiko's heritage is slowly being revealed, patience grasshoppers! Thank you to the reviewers and the readers! You guys give me the motivation to write this story. **


	4. Unseen Protector

**I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. Neither do I own Peter Jackson's work with the movie series. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

When Arien rode her Chariot of the Sun into the sky and Tilion brought his Palace of the Moon down, Seiko awoke. Saika was still half dozing, muttering something about finally catching some dang rabbits. Stretching off her sleepiness, Seiko debated on waking her wolf or not, for although Seiko was both a night owl and morning bird, Saika was a ferocious monster when still asleep. Eventually, she settled on leaving a note for her steed to catch up to them. Saika was intelligent, she'd find her way to the company easily.

In a flash, she changed from her nightwear into her clothes for the day. It was a black kimono, with the large sleeves and all, except the dress that ended a few inches past her waist, making it more of a kimono shirt. The sleeve lining was red, as was the neck lining. The obi was yellow, with a string of green, orange and light green and without the large bow in the back, just the torso wrap. She wore grey shorts that ended about her upper thigh since it was sooooooooo hot this far south. But just because she didn't want any of the dwarves having a duck overseeing her pale pasty legs, she pulled on thin black mid-thigh highs and tucked the ends of the thigh highs into her strong brown ankle boots. Even with the adjustments she made, she was still hot, too used to the frigid temperatures of the high north.

Seiko sighed, remembering the dress regulations for women here was much stricter than her own home country, which was why she was making more of an effort than she normally would to dress "properly." She knew the Dwarves would be awaking sometime soon, and went for a small walk around the market square, earning strange and even wary glances from the hobbits. From the corner of her eye, she spotted the gentleman hobbit from the day before. With a gleaming smile, she briskly strolled over to him, where he was selling woven blankets, bracelets, mats, and other weaved items.

"Good morning ma'am," he greeted amiably.

"Good day, sir," Seiko replied in greeting. "What are you selling?"

The gentleman nodded his head enthusiastically, gesturing to his products. "My wife and I weave things to sell here in the market, a simple yet honest trade."

Seiko smiled again warmly. "Indeed it is, Sir Hobbit."

Her emerald eyes scanned over the products, eyeing any items of interest. She hovered at his market stall for a few moments, before she stopped at a set of intricately and strongly woven bracelets. One was made of white string, with exquisite sapphire blue, spring green, and pale gold glass beads weaved into the bracelet. The second was crafted from silver thread, with pale icy blue and delicate white glass beads. The third was woven from golden string, with ruby, amethyst, orange, and pink colored glass beads strung onto the sides. The fourth and last bracelet was of pond blue thread, with light lily green and pale lotus pink glass beads. All in all, they were magnificent pieces of art.

"How much for this bracelet?" Seiko inquired, pointing at the silver one with the icy blue and white.

He hummed for a second, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Two silver coins, this bracelet is one of the finest we've made yet."

"Well worth the money," Seiko agreed, fetching the coins from her silk purse. "Any dreams these coins might be going to?"

"Aye, my wife's and I's hope is to one day settle in a cozy white house in the White Downs, near Michel Delving," he admitted, gratefully taking her money. "Anjou Whitfoot of the White Downs, that's what I want."

He carefully handed her a pouch with the bracelet she purchased; Seiko opened the pouch and frowned slightly. "Mr. Whitfoot, you've put all four in here, not just the one I bought."

Whitfoot smiled wisely and serenely. "Consider it a gift for the future, a token to remember the Shire in the darkest of days."

Seiko pondered on arguing with the hobbit, but accepted the generous gift, waving goodbye when the time was nigh to join Thorin's merry band of Dwarves. Generous indeed, the glass beads were not cheap, made of high quality and the weaving appeared to have taken quite a long time. Even the string was of expensive nature. She slipped the bracelet she originally bought back into the pouch, not wanting to damage them just yet. His words rang true in some aspects, something was stirring, in the darkness of the shadowy past. She dared not even think _his_ name, for she still remembered the lives lost.

Slinging her traveling bag across her shoulder, Seiko leisurely walked through the trees, allowing herself time to have peace and quiet before she would have to meet with the Dwarves. Too soon, she heard their loud and gruff voices and emerged from the tall trees. Upon her appearance, Thorin's head turned sharply towards her, eyes narrowed and jaw tight.

"And where have you been all this time?" He demanded an answer from her.

"Enjoying the market before the journey," Seiko gave him the answer she felt like giving, she swung herself onto Gandalf's horse since no pony they brought would be able to carry her, and she didn't want to reveal Saika's presence just yet, even though she felt her steed nearby.

Kili burst out in surprise, displaying his youth. "What?!" He cried, "How could you have been there? We were there also this morning and we caught no sight of you! And you made no sound in the forest."

Seiko laughed gaily, "Nay, Master Kili, you would not have. I am a Hunter, and I learned from a very early age how to hide my presence to stalk my prey."

"Witchcraft I say," Dwalin mumbled darkly under his breath, shooting glares at the Huntress.

No one else had the energy to pick any more fights, and so the company returned to the first day of adventure buzz. Little conversations were held between various members, and since Gandalf rode near the front, she felt many eyes bear into her back. She honestly was enjoying her silent riding, for now, just listening to the bits of gossip was entertaining. The weather was wonderful, clear skies and warm sunshine with a refreshing wind tossing her long white hair back and forth playfully.

It was only a little while until someone started a bet on if Bilbo would join or not.

"I don't believe he will, too used to his soft bed and solid walls," Dwalin grunted, jingling a small sack of money in his large hands.

Bofur gave a hearty laugh, waving his own pouch of coins in the air. "I have faith in the lad!"

"As do I!" Ori put in his two cents as well, much to the chagrin of his brothers.

Seiko snickered, already mentally placing her bet. The majority of them voted against Bilbo, only Bofur, Gandalf, Balin, Ori, betted in Bilbo's favor.

"Do you believe Mr. Baggins will come?" Balin asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Seiko merely sneakily grinned, putting ten gold coins into the betting wager. "I say both he and Mrs. Baggins will come."

Dwalin snorted disbelievingly from on top of his pony. "Ms. Baggins? No, she most assuredly belongs inside the safe confines of Bag End, such folk like her have no business in the dangerous, wide, and wild world."

Seiko noted his deliberate misuse of Nemo's proper title.

"She'd only slow us down and be a burden," Dori agreed, looking full of himself. "She is not part of the Burglar's contract."

Seiko bobbed her head up and down with a mischievous smirk. "I'd rethink those words, she is Bilbo's wife after all, do you really believe she'd let him go on such a perilous quest without standing by his side?"

Kili made a move to open his mouth but then closed it abruptly, like a fish. His young age was very obvious to Seiko. Chatter filled the air, with arguments if the two hobbits would catch up to them or not. Not long after Seiko had placed her bet when the sunshine was still young and the morning birds chirped, her ears began to twitch and prickle. Something was coming through the shrubbery, two somethings. Gandalf chuckled like he always has in front of her, slowing his horse down.

"WAIT! WAIT!" Bilbo's cry shattered the stillness of the woods, causing everyone to halt their ponies in response to his words. "We signed it, yes we did."

Indeed they did, Seiko's keen eyes spotted two signatures, both beautifully written in flowing script. Nemo trailed along behind him, carrying a long thin wrapped package on her back with a few travel bag. She still wore a deep coral knee-length dress with a dark turquoise ribbon holding her wavy hair in a low ponytail. She also wore a dark brown overcoat with brown trousers underneath, sturdy traveling clothes. Bilbo wordlessly handed the contract to Balin, who smiled in a grandfatherly way and lifted his spectacles to assess the signatures.

"Everything appears to be in order," Balin declared, rolling up the contract. "Welcome, Master and Lady Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield."

The hardness in Thorin's eyes never softened. "How will the matter on your share of the treasure be settled?"

"We'll share the portion like we share everything in our life," Bilbo said in a tone of stubbornness.

For once, Thorin accepted the answer fully. "Give them a pony."

Bilbo's face of excitement quickly morphed into a panic, "oh that won't be necessary, I'm sure we can keep up on foot, done our share of walking holidays, yes we have."

Nemo gave her husband that special wife look. "I don't know about you, but I really don't fancy walking all the way past the Misty Mountains, Mirkwood and Esgaroth to Erebor."

Bilbo wasn't given another chance to speak before Fili and Kili hoisted him onto the pony with the most of the supplies, and Nemo found a ride with Balin. Seiko knew Nemo would be alright with the elderly dwarf, as Nemo simply sat behind the Son of Fundin and enjoyed the scenery. Seiko herself on the other hand really wanted to ride her noble wolf but didn't want to reveal Saika until the Dwarves were at least a little more sociable with her. Because of her discomfort on the horse, she fidgeted quite a lot.

Glancing to her side, Seiko nearly burst out laughing, seeing Bilbo's awkwardness on his pony; despite Nemo seeming perfect fine riding one. Which reminded her about a certain bet….

"Oi, you lot!" Seiko yelled back at the others, "Pay up now!"

Much grumbling and griping were heard as everyone who bet against her, even the ones who voted for Bilbo, reluctantly tossed her the wagers they lost. Seiko didn't need any money, but she relished in the fact that she was taking theirs.

"What's that about?" Bilbo asked, his eyes darting back and forth from her and the money sacks.

"We made a wager on whether you two would come or not," Seiko explained, gleefully stuffing her winnings into her purse. "Most of them betted you wouldn't, some did. I was the only one who betted in favor of you and Nemo." She giggled as she pulled the drawstrings of her money purse. "I never doubted you two for a second."

A soft smile came to Nemo and Bilbo.

"Is there someone waiting for you back home?" Nemo asked curiously, catching a glimpse of a ring on Seiko's right hand.

Seiko abruptly yanked her black kimono sleeve down, covering her hand. "No, I am unmarried, unlike my brother, cousins, and friends. This ring is just one I like to wear." _A half-truth, in this case, won't kill anyone, at least not yet. _

Bilbo sneezed and noticed he had no pocket-handkerchief, announcing that they had to turn around for him to fetch one. Silly hobbit. Bofur ripped a piece of cloth off from his underwear and tossed it to Bilbo with a laugh.

_Oh my Oromë, that's disgusting_, Seiko wrinkled her nose and lightning-fast, before Bofur's cloth reached Bilbo's hand, it was suddenly pinned to a tree, a thin silver throwing dagger holding it in place. Thorin yanked the reins of his pony back, his steed screeching to a halt.

"Who threw that?!" Thorin bellowed, looking intensely back at the company.

Without a care in the world, Seiko hopped off Gandalf's horse and plucked the dagger out of the tree, tossing the piece of cloth back to Bofur once she was on the horse again.

"I will never understand men," Seiko muttered under her breath. "T'was me who threw the dagger, I wasn't going to hit anyone. That was mean of you, Bofur," she scolded the hatted dwarf.

"…Yes, ma'am..."

Thorin gave her a dark glare but didn't say anything, instead, he resumed their path.

Nori swept a glance at her, "Where did you hide that dagger?"

Seiko smirked, lifting her arms. "These sleeves aren't just for decoration." To prove her point, she opened the right sleeve, revealing at least a dozen more throwing dagger pinned against the fabric. "I've hidden some crazy things in these sleeves."

* * *

The moon shone brilliantly, while the fire crackled and hissed into the night, a time Seiko enjoyed very much. Upon her perch on a larger flat rock above the main gathering of Dwarves, she untied the ribbon holding her long white hair and let it hang loose while allowing the breeze to caress her face. Brushing her hair, she spied Bilbo sneak an apple to his pony, whom he and Nemo had grown quite fond of, and silently laughed. Nemo was still awake, warming her hands by the fire. Suddenly, a shriek pierced the night, causing her head to whip up in alarm, her emerald eyes scanning the oversight for danger. Bilbo's head snapped up, as did Nemo, who peculiarly started to reach for her long thin package.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked in slight fear and apprehension.

Seiko narrowed her eyes into the distance, her right hand clutching an arrow while her left hand clenched her white wooden bow. Her throwing daggers were nestled in her kimono sleeves, ready to be used in a moment's glance, and her twin knives snug on her hips. She clicked her tongue softly, silently standing and stealthily made her way over to the woods, where Saika was awaiting.

"I need to you find out how far away the Orc pack is, be careful and do not engage unless they do first," Seiko quietly instructed, once she was confident she wouldn't be overheard. "Return to me immediately."

Saika nodded her large white furry head before she bounded off in a silent manner only the finest Warrior Wolf could do so. Seiko sighed in relief, at least now the Orc pack shouldn't come near, and if they did, Seiko would dispose of them quickly, before anyone else from the company would notice. She then plopped herself back onto the rocks, gazing out into the starry sea.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin's sharp voice brought Seiko's attention back to the group she was mostly hired (by Gandalf) to protect. "You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

Kili grimaced, realizing his mistake too late. "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No, you didn't," Thorin snapped, stomping angrily towards the edge of the cliff. "You know nothing of the world."

Although harsh, it was a lesson the younger members of the company needed to hear, the world was not a kind place. Bilbo just stood there, the silence awkward. Balin sighed, and memories, old memories, stirred in his head.

"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs," Balin explained as he rested his arm against the rock Seiko was sitting on. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs, led by the vilest of all their race, Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began," Balin sighed in sorrow, "by beheading the king."

Nemo's eyes were wide in rapt attention, while Bilbo briefly glanced over to the brooding Thorin a ways off.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us." Balin also turned his proud yet sorrowful gaze to the Son of Thrain. "That is when I saw him. A young Dwarf prince, facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day, that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs back. And our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived." Balin took a moment to recompose himself, a tear threatening to loosen from his eye, and the gravity of the story settled into Kili and Fili, and Bilbo. "And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow," Balin continued, standing tall. "There is one, I could call king."

As Thorin turned around, the sight of all the Dwarves in his company standing to meet their king greeted his eyes. Seiko remained sitting, as he was not her king, but she could respect his leadership qualities.

"And the Pale Orc?" Nemo asked hesitantly. "What happened to him?"

Thorin stomped in a tizzy like manner back towards the fire, "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Seiko lightly bit her lower lip, knowing Azog still lived, and still swore vengeance against the House of Durin. She doubted Thorin would believe her though. "The Battle of Azanulbizar, Nemo. That's what that battle is called now."

Bilbo raised his head, startled, having forgotten she resided on the rock above them. "Is it? Were you there?"

Bofur released a hearty yet weary laugh. "My dear lad, the Battle of Azanulbizar was near 200 years ago, how could she be?"

"Well…."

"And there you have it."

Seiko never did answer Bilbo's question. The answer was no.

Thorin made the Company pack up quickly the next morning, and the morning after that, and the morning after that. It was dull, never-ending, although the stories told in between made the journey bearable. She particularly liked the tale of when Bombur drank dry town and was so drunk, he kept proposing over and over again to his wife. The scenery wasn't horrible either. Seiko loved both the countryside and the cities. It had been a while since she'd seen so much green, the rolling emerald fields, and majestic trees against the sky were quite the sight.

So far, the journey had been cute, nothing had tried to kill them yet. Seiko had caught a whiff of a tiny orc pack the day before, but Saika had effectively killed them all without any of the dwarves and hobbits noticing, except Gandalf. Now, it was raining, and not lightly. Seiko didn't mind the downpour, not including the fact it didn't exactly rain in her home. However, almost everyone else was not thrilled with the rain. Bilbo looked like a poor soaked rat, and even Nemo wasn't looking particularly fond of the weather.

"Mister Gandalf, can't you do something about this terrible deluge?" Dori asked, grumbling under his breath about the weather.

"It is raining Dori, and it will continue to rain until it is done!" Gandalf harrumphed, soaked to the bone as well. "If you want to change the weather of the world, you'd best find another wizard or the King of the Northern Ice."

Seiko snorted, thinking of the other wizards. They were all odd and queer in their own ways.

"The King of the Northern Ice?" Kili asked on a whim, the term unfamiliar with him.

"Aye, lad, haven't you heard the legends?" Nori called from the back. "The old tales say he roams the bleak snowy north, astride a magnificent white wolf, the size of a horse! He wears a crown of pure white ice and with a wave of his hand, he can summon fierce snowstorms and freeze oceans."

"I doubt those tales hold any truth, laddie," Gloin reassured the younger son of Dis. "Pay no heed to his fantasies."

Seiko smiled softly, knowing the legend in context well. "On the contrary, Master Gloin, those myths are quite true. The King of the Northern Ice is our King, the leader of the Forochels."

"So they're true?!" Kili's eyes were full of wonder.

"Yes, they are, at least the majority of the rumors I've heard about our King," Seiko confirmed. "Some of the rumors I've heard across the lands about the wizards, however, many of them are farfetched."

Bilbo tilted his head inquisitively in Gandalf's direction. "Are there any other wizards?"

"There are five Istari," Seiko called out, stealing Gandalf's thunder just a bit.

"The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White," Gandalf said, some to himself and some to Bilbo and Nemo.

_I haven't trusted Saruman in a great deal of many years, even before the White Council was formed_, Seiko mused over the thought of Aulë's Maia.

"Then the two Blue Wizards…" Gandalf trailed off, "You know, I've quite forgotten their names…"

"Alatar and Pallando," Seiko supplied, brought out of her musings over Saruman. "I met them on the edge of Rhûn a long time ago."

"Ah yes! Thank you," Gandalf said in reply.

"And what about the fifth?" Nemo asked, now sitting behind Bilbo on his pony.

Gandalf took a minute to respond, "That would be Radagast, the Brown. He's a very good wizard."

"In his own way," Seiko finished for the Grey Pilgrim, remembering Radagast's eccentricity. "He prefers the company of the forests and animals than to people, keeping a watchful eye over the vast woodlands of the East."

"It is good, for always evil will look to find a foothold in the world," Gandalf said, with an ominous hint only Seiko caught.

_Gandalf… do you mean the stirrings in the East, in the southern area of the Greenwood_? Seiko thought, her mind turning to darker things.

_I am not certain, but I know this. Something wicked dwells in Dol Guldur, and I have reason to believe so_, Gandalf mentally said, a gift given to him by Irmo.

Seiko lightly bit her lower lip in worry, _there's a disturbance in Gundabad, and the orcs are multiplying far more than usual. They are breeding for war. _

_How do you know this? _

_Alagos scouted that cursed mountain with five other Washi warriors, only he and his second returned alive,_ Seiko breathed a lamented for her fallen brethren in arms.

_Then let us pray it is not who we believe,_ Gandalf sighed, his gaze far warier and resigned than before.

_Aye, I hope we are simply imagining things. _


	5. The Hunt Begins

**I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. Neither do I own Peter Jackson's work with the movie series. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Mid-afternoon, the party came to a clearing with some covering apple trees, and Seiko felt like she was about to melt. The blazing sun was beating down on her, and sweat was dripping down her forehead. Yeah, she was definitely not used to such heat.

"It's so hotttttttttt," she complained to Nemo, who could only help fan her with one of Seiko's war fans.

"Ah well, summer will come to an end eventually," Nemo said in a semi snickering tone.

Seiko moaned, "If I can make it till then."

Thorin inspected the area with a sweep of his head, "We'll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

His nephews scampered off to secure the ponies, leading them off into another section of the camp. Gandalf and Seiko poked and prodded at the wooden ruins of a house, and Seiko's warning bells were flashing fiercely. She took a small sniff and gagged, something smelled nasty. Gandalf sent her a questioning and wary look. _It wasn't abandoned, something happened_, Seiko alerted him mentally.

"A farmer and his family used to live here," Gandalf said aloud, thinking over Seiko's scent analysis.

Thorin was still directing Dwarves and their traffic, ordering Oin and Gloin to set up a fire. Seiko yanked her pack and things off Gandalf's horse, arranging her things in her own little section a bit away from the rest of the main group.

"I think it would be wiser to move on," Gandalf cautioned in Thorin's direction.

Seiko didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she was aiding Bombur in lighting a fire and together they managed to amass a black cauldron, perfect to stewing soup. When Gandalf finally stormed off in frustration, Seiko only hoped he knew what he was doing. She also didn't appreciate the fact the wizard was leaving the protection of the Dwarves to her. Seiko assisted Bombur and Bofur mostly with the food preparations as the sun started to cast her farewells for the day. Nemo's pale red-gold hair was currently a tangled mess, so Seiko had her sit in front of her while Seiko pulled out her ivory brush and began to tame the wild hair.

"I was always the one doing my younger cousins' hair, as I was one of the older kids of the family," Seiko explained to Nemo when the hobbit asked. "I enjoy it, it's fun and relaxing. What about you?"

Nemo smiled softly, "I have two younger brothers. The older of the two will be turning of age soon, while my youngest brother is only a few years old. There is a large age gap between my siblings and me."

Seiko hummed in understanding. "I understand, I am 218 years younger than my second oldest brother, and my oldest brother was 1913 years older than I."

Nemo made a noise of shock. "Truly? How old are you then, if I may ask?"

"A lady never reveals her age, dear Nemo," Seiko leaned forward, whispering into Nemo's ear. "Nor does she reveal her secrets. But here's a clue: I am not as old as you think but not as young."

Nemo laughed, "Ah, I suppose I'll have to let you guess my age then as well. A game of sorts."

Seiko snorted. "Then I'm afraid you've already lost. I know you're 46 years old."

Nemo's head swirled around in shock, whacking Seiko in the face with her hair. "What? How did you know?"

With another smirk, Seiko winked, "As I said, a lady never reveals her secrets. Excuse me for a moment while I convene with Saika about boring security topics." Seiko pushed herself to her feet, Nemo giving her a short nod.

A good distance away from the ponies and dwarves, Saika was lazily gnawing on the carcass of a male deer she'd hunted for dinner. Her white ears prickled, sensing Seiko. The large white wolf rose into a standing position, looking regal and noble.

"My lady," Saika dipped her head, with both cheek and respect evident.

"Saika, how was your venison?" Seiko greeted fondly.

Saika's fluffy head drooped, "I've become spoiled to my fire smoked caribou and roasted narwhal, but I suppose raw deer is good enough in the wild."

Seiko snickered. "Pampered brat." Seiko glanced around the dark woods warily. "How fared your scout over the perimeter?"

"There is a relentless orc pack far off, but I fear if the Dwarves do not quicken their pace, they'll be overtaken and killed," Saika reported. "Azog hunts them, specifically Thorin and his nephews. It is his dark oath that pushed the Pale Orc to pursue the Line of Durin." Saika's eyes darted around the forest again for a second. "My lady, I have also heard rumors, rumors of the dark fortress in Mirkwood stirring."

Seiko's head snapped sharply to her loyal steed. "What kinds of rumors? Gandalf and I have discussed some things already, but what else do you know?"

"The trees are dying in the south, and the animals run from one they call, the Necromancer." Saika turned her grave eyes to Seiko. "You know as well as I do that no mortal has possessed such powers since the Witch King ruled Angmar."

Seiko bit her lower lip worriedly. "I'm going to see if I can contact Alagos soon, I need a message to be passed to Mother and Father, as well as Aunt Yumemi and Uncle Atsushi. Continue to protect the area, the Dwarves are blinded by a false sense of security, and I fear that their reality will be shattered soon. If you spot any of the Great Eagles, give them this message and tell them to give it Alagos, he'll know to send it to the North."

After whispering the message into her wolf's ear, Saika nodded her head again, "It shall be done. Just try not to get eaten by the trolls."

Seiko started suddenly, her eyes wide. "T-Trolls?" She squeaked out, "Why didn't you tell me?"

If Saika had eyebrows, they would be raised. "Well duh, didn't you smell them earlier?"

Seiko admittedly recalled the foul stench she had caught earlier in the day but dismissed it foolishly. "Whoops. I think I gotta go."

Seiko sprinted through the woods and into the clearing, where no dwarves or hobbit were in sight. Seiko swore, before hurriedly digging through her bag, pulling out her twin tanto knives. One was made completely of black steel, the 12-inch blade, hilt, and handle all forged in dark, menacing pure black steel. The other tanto knife was exactly identical to the black steel knife, except this one was forged entirely from white mithril. With a flurry of movement, Seiko checked her kimono sleeves, sure all her throwing daggers were secured in the sleeves. How could she have not noticed before? She skidded to a halt silently, her hunting senses on the full prowl.

With her heightened hearing, she heard Bilbo and Nemo spin an incredibly hilarious and insane tale of how to cook dwarf properly. If it wasn't for the dangerous situation, Seiko would have laughed, instead, with her eyes just peeking over the large stone she was hiding behind, she counted three burly and slow mountain trolls. She furrowed her brow,_ since when do Mountain Trolls come down this far south_? Bilbo and Nemo were running out of ideas, the fib about the parasites and worms were a nice touch. Of course, the Dwarves' didn't catch on until it was almost too late. The trolls were disregarding Bilbo's "warnings" and were prepared to eat them all whole. Seiko grinned, the thrill of chasing and cornering and catching prey was amazing.

Seiko was horrendous with a sword, once she nearly cut off her dad's hand trying to learn how to use a sword. She wasn't half bad with a bow, but she had not brought one. Slipping a hand into her sleeve, Seiko silently pulled out a shimmering silver dagger and threw it so swiftly, it seemed to have never been in her hand in the first place. The blade sang through the air until it struck its target: the neck of one Troll called Bert. Of course, it would take more than one simple dagger to bring down a mountain troll, but it shocked the trolls and sent them into a panic. Not all the dwarves recognized the gleaming blade protruding out of Bert's neck though.

"Oi! There's something sticking out!" Bert squealed, stomping around. Two more daggers hurtled through the air, sticking themselves into Bert's right leg.

Seiko was baiting them, sending them into states of flurry and redirect their focus off the dwarves. Already, she saw Nemo discreetly sliding over to Thorin and untying his ropes. She scurried around the troll clearing, making sure that every dagger she threw wasn't fatal nor from the same spot, to cause the illusion that there more than one attacker. Finally, Gandalf bustled past her, and Seiko snickered quietly.

"Back so soon, old man?" Seiko said cheekily.

Gandalf merely cast a disgruntled huff in her direction and cracked stone, revealing the bright morning light. "The dawn will take you all!"

Rolling her eyes, Seiko smiled fondly at the old wizard. He did have a flair for dramatics. She aided Balin and Kili in cutting their bounds before retrieving the daggers.

"How did you do that? Get them all confused like that?" Kili breathlessly.

Seiko yanked the last dagger from the stone troll before turning to the baby dwarf and sliding the daggers into a separate pouch so she could clean them later. "When I was young and first learning to hunt, my father and uncle taught me to corner my prey without the prey knowing. I threw those daggers from different spots around the clearing to make the trolls think they were surrounded by several attackers."

Kili's eyes were wide in wonder (and probably adrenaline, he did almost just get devoured by stinky trolls). "Could I learn?"

Seiko grinned, ruffling his shaggy dark hair. "Maybe I'll teach you some of the Hunting Ways of the Forochels."

That was all Seiko got out before Thorin stormed over, anger flashing through his eyes.

"And where were you all this time?" He demanded crossly.

She found it quite amusing how he had to look up at her. "I was scouting around the campsite, and by the time I realized it was too quiet, you were all gone."

The answer seemed to pacify Thorin's rage for now, but Seiko knew he'd continue to still be wary of her. Some of the other dwarves were warming up to her, such as Nori, when she stole back the spoon he originally stole from her. It was a strange bonding. The group found the vulgar and horrendous smelling troll cave nearby. Seiko's nose literally died, her sense going overload. Still, she forced herself into the cave, stepping on glittering gold coins, precious jewelry and fine weapons. Seiko glanced around, recognizing some ancient elvish blades, forged in Gondolin. She wasn't born when Gondolin fell, nor was she born for a great many years after, but her Uncle had described the majesty, glory, and splendor of the ancient elvish city when he had visited for a diplomatic trip. The sweeping white stone towers, the silver fountains, gold archways encrusted with jewels, and pavilions of pearl.

Something glinted faintly and caught Seiko's eye. Crouching down, Seiko pulled a very short sword, elvish made, from the dirt. She couldn't believe it. With a swift motion, she drew the blade from the faded grey scabbard and nearly dropped the blade in shock. The handle was made of white mithril, with a few metal white flowers, butterflies, and pearl decorating the hilt. The mithril blade gleamed silver, and a clear glistening diamond was set in the pommel of the short sword. Seiko felt a brief wave of sadness wash over her, she recognized this blade very well. She sheathed the sword, holding it close to her for a moment in memory, before exiting the cave along with the rest of the dwarves.

Seiko beckoned Nemo over, before handing the young hobbit the sword. "Take it, and bear it well. I pray you never have to use it, but it's always nice to have it in case."

Nemo glanced up at the older woman in muted shock, before gingerly taking the sheathed sword and tying it to her own belt. "It's beautiful, thank you."

Seiko smiled sadly. "It once belonged to one of my dearest friends, she would have loved you if she walked in the World of the Living."

"Oh…" Nemo's words were caught in her throat, awkward now.

Several rustles were heard from the forestry and Seiko whipped out her tanto knives again, her body taut and ready to pounce if necessary. "Ready your bow for precaution's sake," Seiko whispered to Nemo, who immediately wrapped her package, revealing a small thin ivory bow, with flowery designs and elvish script carved into the bow.

The quiver was also made from ivory wood, and the arrow fletchers gold and crimson. Nemo was partially hidden by Seiko's larger body, so the Dwarves didn't take any notice of Nemos's archer stance. Bilbo didn't miss his wife's chosen weapon, he had drawn the sword Gandalf had given him and didn't seem surprised that Nemo wielded a bow. A stream of large brown rabbits erupted from the green shrubbery, attached to a sled.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" A short wild-looking man shouted nearly incomprehensively, waving his staff around.

Nemo had abruptly raised her bow, poised to fire but Seiko waved her arm down, silently indicating the man was an ally.

"Radagast! It's Radagast the Brown!" Gandalf said happily, greeting his fellow Istari.

The two strolled off a bit into the woods by themselves, to talk privately. Bilbo wondered briefly what Wizards talk about, Fili joked how they discussed about nothing meaningful except acorns and squirrels. Seiko admitted that one was a bit funny. Ori had taken upon himself the task of drawing the troll cave hoard, his charcoal pen expertly sketching on the thick parchment of his sketchbook. Seiko crouched down, pointing at the drawing.

"You're an exceptionally talented artist," Seiko smiled, startling the young Dwarf.

"What? Oh, thank you," Ori mumbled, a tint of red blushing his cheeks.

Seiko peered a bit closer at the sketch, "Though I think you could use for a little bit more shading here," She advised, pointing at the arch of the cave.

Ori's eyes lit up as he began to shadow the area Seiko had noted, murmuring his thanks. "Are you an artist yourself?"

"Ah, no, I'm not," Seiko admitted. "But I've learned quite a bit from my mother, who is an artist."

Their conversation was cut abruptly with the sound of a howl. Bilbo's head glanced nervously around, and Seiko instantly knew that wasn't Saika. She knew Saika's call by heart. Nemo fingered her bow cautiously, eyeing the premises.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked, hoping it was a wolf rather than what it really was. "Are there…are there wolves out there?"

Bofur grimaced, "Wolves? No, that's no wolf," He said grimly.

Seiko heard a faint snarl from above and behind and in the blink of an eye, she threw one of her daggers to the right, the blade singing through the air and sank into the flesh of the ugly warg. Thorin drew his sword swiftly, slicing the neck of the warg and ending the warg's life. A second warg leaped forward, teeth gleaming for blood and Kili shot it down with practiced ease.

"Warg scouts!" Thorin shouted, yanking his sword from the first warg's carcass. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind!"

"Orc pack?" Bilbo gasped out, momentarily that that came with the contract.

Gandalf stormed towards Thorin, brandishing his staff intimidatingly. "Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?"

"No one," Thorin answered quickly.

"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf demanded sharply.

"No one, I swear!" Thorin repeated in a slightly panicked tone. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted," Seiko butted in, her eyes narrowing. She smelled them, they were closing in.

Thorin's eyes flashed angrily towards her, accusations on his lips. "Was it you?! Did you lead them here!?"

"NO, I DID NOT!" Seiko hissed, infuriated at his priorities. "We need to get out of here."

Ori darted down the hill, having been scouting. "We can't! We have no ponies, they bolted!"

"We're doomed," Seiko muttered to herself, Nemo standing nervously next to her.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast had a smug and determined look on his face.

"These are Gundabad Wargs, they will outrun you," Gandalf protested and raised an eyebrow at the small and plucky Istari.

Radagast's eyes held a wild gleam, "These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."

"You're gonna die," Seiko snorted, "But I guess I'll die next to you."

She whistled in a piercing high pitch, not many would have been able to hear it. From the brush bounded a very large, fluffy white wolf by the name of Saika. The Dwarves shouted and clamored in shock, readying their weapons, but Seiko yelled for them to hold while darting forward and swinging herself onto the wolf gracefully. Ah, it had been so long since she'd last ridden her faithful steed. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bilbo and Nemo staring at Saika in awe, and she caught Bilbo's gaze for just a moment, but she knew what he wanted, even if he wouldn't admit it aloud.

"I go left, you go right," Seiko said to Radagast, who nodded in glee.

"What is this?" Dwalin's face was of both mistrust and questioning.

Seiko softly smirked. "This is my Wolf of Forochel, the finest steed for the Hunt."

In one swift motion, she swooped her arm down and easily plucked Nemo off the ground, the hobbit lass squeaking in surprise. Seiko set Nemo behind her, ignoring the shocked shriek from Nemo and the gaping stares at Saika's impressive figure. Again, from the corner of her eye, she saw Bilbo's shoulders shift in relief. Finally, she exchanged curt nods with Gandalf and Radagast.

"Ride, Saika, ride!" Seiko proclaimed proudly, as Saika readied to give a wild goose chase.

Saika bounded out of the brush, speeding away while Radagast hurried over to his sled, rallying his rabbits. In the near distance, Seiko heard, smelt, and saw the approaching Wargs and their foul riders charging at them. Nemo was clinging onto Seiko's waist with all her might, quivering from the sharp wind and the fact that an Orc pack was murderously pursuing them. Seiko urged Saika to go faster, as she didn't like several close calls. Using her nose to aid her, Seiko skillfully directed Saika in directions far away enough from the Dwarves.

"Nemo!" Seiko twisted her body around, looking back at the Orcs and Nemo's smaller body. "Shoot them down!"

"What?"

"Shoot them down!" Seiko shouted, ducking from a black arrow that narrowly missed her head.

Nemo snapped out of her stupor and fumbled, shakily tying the quiver belt around her waist and notching an arrow to the bowstring, pulling it back with some difficulty. Seiko did understand that it was the first time Nemo had to use her archery skills in actual battle combat and on a running, moving wolf in addition. No better time to learn!

"Calm your breaths!" Seiko encouraged Nemo's wobbling bow and glared at the mocking jeers from their ugly, disgusting, and unhygienic pursuers.

With a deep breath, Nemo released her first arrow, the piece of wood, feather, and metal flying through the air and sinking itself into the head of an Orc.

It was a perfect, clean shot. The Orc tumbled off the warg, one less orc in the world. The other Orcs and Wargs of the pack snarled and roared angrily, furious their prey was evading them. Still, Saika ran steadily, she was an amazing long-distance marathon runner. They passed hilly formations of rocks, bushes, and other stones. It was a blur to Seiko, who in her heart, couldn't fully suppress the thrill of the hunt. Nemo was an excellent archer, having felled five Orcs and two Wargs already. Suddenly, the howls of another warg and orc pair echoed throughout the hills, causing the Orc pack to abruptly shift directions. Seiko was quite a bit ahead of her chasers, and Saika immediately halted, sensing Seiko's unease.

"Kuso!" Seiko cursed in her native tongue.

Nemo quickly turned around, her eyes hardened but wide. "What is it?" She asked anxiously.

"They've found the Dwarves' trail," Seiko hissed, untying her own long and strong white wooden bow from Saika's side. "Ride east, Saika!"

Nemo paled. "Bilbo," She whispered nearly inaudibly.

Saika resumed her fast-paced run, the wolf's green eyes narrowed from years of hunting. Seiko hissed angrily at herself, using only her legs to lightly steer Saika. Even so, she earnestly knew her wolf was nearly as old as Seiko herself was and did not require steering. Indeed, their strong bond had been forged from iron after the years they had hunted, adventured, and fought together. For Seiko and Saika, it was instinct, they knew each other very well. Saika leaped over rock and evaded hill, strangely thrilled that they were now hunting the orcs. Soon enough, they heard the growls and squeals from orc and warg, cornering the dwarves. With swift, quick precision and years of practice, Seiko drew an arrow back and shot an orc through the throat. The Dwarves had somehow disappeared, which made her job a bit easier. Together, she and Nemo shot arrow after arrow to the quite large orc pack.

Evidently, the half that had been chasing them had been the smaller half. Saika couldn't combat the wargs with riders on her back, but she kept Seiko and Nemo a fair and safe distance from their enemies. A horn, loud, crisp, and clear resounded through the air, and the thudding of horse hooves and a flurry of arrows flew through the air. Seiko whipped her head towards her left, where the arrow had come from. In only a few minutes, the rest of the orcs had been slain easily and efficiently. A grin passed on Seiko's face once she realized their "rescuers."

Prodding Saika forward, Seiko relaxed her battle demeanor, lowering her bow in a friendly manner.

"_Mae g'ovannen, Elrond_!" Seiko greeted in _Sindarin_, Saika standing still. "_Tis' unusual that you are part of a hunting party nowadays_."

"_I sensed that I should participate in today's scouting party, and I believe I now know why_," Elrond greeted her back, nodding at Seiko.

Seiko grinned, glancing back at the shy and retreating hobbit lass behind her. "Anemone, this is Lord Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, the Last Homely House by the Sea. Elrond, this is Anemone Baggins, my current ward and traveling companion."

Elrond smiled warmly, "_Mae g'ovannen_, Lady Anemone. I am pleased to meet one of the Halflings from the Shire."

Nemo nodded shyly, her blue eyes hesitant but willing. "May govan, Lord Elrond."

Seiko snickered at the butchered pronunciation but silently applauded Nemo for trying. Elrond was also impressed, complimenting Nemo, who flushed happily at the praise of the famed Elven Lord.

"Our most favorite, dear Seiko! Have you forgotten about us?" Came the overdramatic, teasing voice of an unfortunately familiar voice behind her.

"How cruel! You have not even greeted us! You wound us!" The other Ellon mock cried, and Seiko pictured him dramatically throwing a hand to his forehead, leaning on his brother.

"Ah yes," Seiko said dryly, deadpanning. "How could I ever have forgotten about you miserable and troubling nuisances?"


	6. Greetings from the Elves

**I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. Neither do I own Peter Jackson's work with the movie series. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"_Seiko, Seiko!" _

_Seiko turned her head into the direction of two young elfings, twins and the most adorable (and mischievous) lords she would always visit whenever she came to Rivendell, which wasn't as often as she liked. A playful smile appeared on Seiko's pale lips. _

"_Ohoho?" She grinned, bending down a bit to meet on their level. "And why are you little brats coming to I, the great and powerful Seiko?" _

_They responded with stomping on her toes. Seiko yelped in surprise and pain, scuttling her feet backward. "Oi! You little shi- er, brats! Get back here!" _

_Elrond and Celebrian smiled softly from a balcony a bit of a way off, peacefully watching the Huntress from the Forochel Lands chase their young twin sons while they squealed gleefully. Eventually, Seiko managed to wrangle one of the twins (she was pretty sure it was Elrohir) into her arms and smirked wickedly. _

"_You've been caught by the Great Huntress of the North!" Seiko announced teasingly, tickling Elrohir to death. "And now you shall be tickled until you can't breathe anymore!" _

"_Nooooooo!" Elrohir giggled loudly, squirming and wiggling in hopes of escaping Seiko's tickling fingers. _

"_I'll save you!" The other twin Elladan declared determinedly, leaping onto Seiko's back and effectively, knocking all three down into a heap of tangled limbs. _

"_ACK!" _

_Needless to say, all three were increasingly dirty by the time dinner rolled around, and Seiko was on bath duty for Elladan and Elrohir. Technically she offered for bath duty to give Celebrian a break and because she was the one who got them so filthy in the first place, but she didn't really realize how much wrangling it was to get the two elfings into the tub. By the end of the bath, Seiko was just as wet as the two Sons of Elrond had been. The normally composed Celebrian took one look at the three of them and burst out in full laughs, her cheeks were red from laughing so hard._

* * *

Elladan and Elrohir had grown considerably since Seiko had seen them last, both towered over Seiko's smaller frame. Seiko had dismounted to gather an arrow or two and found herself sandwiched between the two ellons. Elladan, the elder, grinned and slung an arm over his longtime friend.

"Seiko, I'm so deeply hurt," he tsked. "After all-"

"You never said hello to us," Elrohir finished, his eyes full of mock sadness.

Seiko shrugged off Elladan's arm and punched him lightly in the arm. "Nice to see you too, brats." She turned to Nemo, who was still sitting astride Saika. "Nemo, these are the fools I've had the unfortunate pleasure in knowing since they were born, the Sons of Elrond. Elladan and Elrohir, this is Lady Anemone Baggins, a _guest_ in the House of Elrond," Seiko emphasized the word guest.

Elrohir's eyes held a gleam of mischief, a look Seiko recognized all too well.

"Oh _no,_" Seiko said warningly, "If you get her mixed up in your shenanigans, I assure you I will murder you and not even Glorfindel or your father will find your bodies."

Elladan grinned innocently, unabashed by her threat. "No, us? Never. We've never done anything to incur your wrath, ever."

Seiko snorted, recalling a certain incident from nearly 800 years ago that left her half of her hair dyed ebony black with Erestor's pen ink and Saika's fur matted with honey. If it hadn't had been for Arwen, Seiko would have skinned the twins, flayed them alive, and shoved them off a cliff to die a most painful death. Her brother never let her forget the story and would laugh uncontrollably every time the incident came up, especially since he called it just karma. Still, Seiko smiled softly.

"I've missed you too, Elladan," she murmured, looking at the two ellons she'd known since their birth.

She considered them her little brothers, ones to love and cherish deeply, as well as to poke as much fun as she could. Yes, she would die for them, and also kill them if they put another spider in her chair. Her thoughts were cut short by Elrond's call from his horse.

"Seiko! We ride back to Imladris, are you traveling with us?" Elrond asked regally, looking like the Elf-lord he was born to be.

Seiko responded by gracefully and swiftly swinging herself onto Saika's back; she felt Nemo wrap her arms around her waist. One of the elves in the front of the group sounded the horn again, spurring the group forward. From feeling Saika's taut muscles, Seiko could tell her steed was only slightly tired, yet years of practice had built excellent stamina and endurance in the both of them. Still, they weren't invincible, and Seiko had been reminded of her times of weakness more than she'd like.

"What's Imladris like?" Nemo inquired curiously, her voice sparkling with interest.

Elrohir intervened before Seiko could, "Oh, it's magnificent and splendid! Towers of light with lush gardens and-"

"And that's quite enough," Seiko stomped on Elrohir's parade. "Let her have the surprise," she turned her head around to face Nemo. "It is really quite marvelous though, you'll be amazed."

And from the gasp of wonder sounding from the hobbit lady behind her, Seiko knew Nemo was awed by Imladris as they entered the secret valley. Every time Seiko came to Rivendell, she was filled with a sense of protection, renewal, and healing, it was a place she knew she could call "home" if needed, although her first and forever home would always be in the snowy north. But from the elegant stone arches of grace to the clear skies shining above, Rivendell was her second home. The horn bearer blew the horn, signaling the return of the Lords of Rivendell and their party.

"Welcome to Imladris, Lady Anemone," Elladan said cheerfully, his eyes showing his love for his home.

"Oh, it's so…" Nemo breathed near breathlessly, "Beautiful. I've, I've never laid my eyes on a place more wondrous than here!"

Seiko smiled softly, then her eyes narrowed, she spotted a group of tiny people huddling together at the end of the bridge. Oh wait, that was just the Dwarves and Bilbo. _So Gandalf _was_ leading them here, ooh Thorin will not be pleased, not at all_, Seiko mentally winced at the storm she knew was about to burst from the Dwarven King. Nemo had also seen the group ahead and exhaled a breath of relief.

"Thank Eru, Bilbo's alive and unharmed," Nemo said, her body relaxing as if a huge weight was taken off her shoulders.

Well, Seiko supposed a burden was lifted off Nemo, the worry she had for her husband's safety must have been massive. With her heightened eyesight, Seiko observed Bilbo's demeanor and shoulders sag also in relief at the sight of his wife riding behind Seiko safely. The Elven party circled around the dwarves, while Saika waited on the inside of the elvish barrier, Seiko sitting tall and regal (at least she hoped that's what she looked like) on top of her wolf.

Elrond, like Seiko, remained on his steed, looking down at his wizarding friend. "Gandalf," he said simply.

"Lord Elrond," Gandalf responded as cheerfully as the situation allowed. "_My friend! Where have you been_?"

"_We've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass_," Elrond told Gandalf, yet Seiko had a sinking suspicion Elrond already had a clue of Gandalf's schemes. He dismounted, his horse being taken care of by an Elven guard, and warmly embraced Gandalf. "Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone has drawn them near," Elrond continued, his gaze falling all around the dwarves.

"Ah… that may have been us," Seiko admitted both charmingly and sheepishly, dismounting herself off of Saika and helping Nemo down; Nemo immediately rushed over to Bilbo, inspecting him for injuries. "Good girl, Saika," Seiko whispered near audibly to her wolf in their native tongue, patting her caringly on the side.

Thorin emerged into Elrond's view, appearing noble and powerful. In all honesty, Seiko had to bite back a small giggle from escaping, as the height difference between the ancient Elven Lord and Dwarven King to be amused her immensely.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," Elrond greeted the dark-haired dwarf amiably.

Thorin's eyes held a vast amount of suppressed hostility and distrust, "I do not believe we have met," He said gruffly.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled Under the Mountain," Elrond answered in return, showing no signs of coldness.

Thorin raised an eyebrow ever so slightly mocking, "Indeed? He made no mention of you."

Seiko didn't try to hide from rolling her eyes. _It would appear Thorin is rude to this host as well, perhaps it's in his blood_, Seiko mused, not forgetting the fact Dwarves and Elves normally didn't get along very well.

Elladan, the elf closest to Seiko, muttered to her, "_He's quite the cheerful fellow_," gesturing to Thorin.

Again, Seiko had to shove down a fit of giggles from erupting out of her throat. Elrond had the faintest trace of an amused smile, something only a longtime friend would really be able to catch, as he told a nearby elven servant to prepare a meal for the Dwarves.

Gloin harrumphed, clutching his ax just a bit tighter and stalked forward a few paces. "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?!" Gloin demanded.

Gandalf sighed, a bit of his exasperation showing. "No, Master Gloin, he's offering you food."

The dwarves muttered and murmured amongst themselves, debating on the possibility of a free and abundant meal. Eventually, their stomachs won out the battle.

Gloin had the decency to appear a little apologetic, "Well, in that case, lead on."

Seiko allowed a humorous smile to emerge on her lips, watching the Dwarves be led away deeper in the city, presumably to refresh themselves for dinner that night.

"_You may stay in the rooms you normally use when you visit Imladris, as always_," Elrond told Seiko, making his way up the stairs as well. "_Elrohir, do something useful please and alert two of the servants to prepare Seiko's chambers for her. As for you Elladan, take your sister and go out and hunt down some deer for the cooks to roast for Saika_," Elrond instructed his sons, waving his hand dismissively towards them.

Elrohir shuffled his way into the city, shouldering his bow with Elladan right behind him, the two parting ways to accomplish their separate tasks once inside the city. Seiko and Saika also entered the beautiful city, very familiar with their surroundings. From the exquisite gardens to the Hall of Fire, Seiko breathed in the air while Saika just yawned.

"Go take a nap in the gardens or something, the elves are used to your presence by this point," Seiko said, nodding her head at her steed.

"Fine, fine, just let me know when it's dinnertime, I'm looking forward to that roasted deer," Saika cackled gleefully, trotting off.

Seiko's mouth was set in a quirked grin before she headed to her room. Centuries ago, when she became a regular visitor when her duties weren't as extensive as they were currently, Elrond and Celebrian gifted with a room specially sanctioned for her. It was on the far side of Imladris, overlooking the waterfalls with a small balcony. The room inside was built nearly entirely of white stone, to reflect the snowy lands of her homelands. Seiko personally decorated the room with intricate colored glass orbs, animal figurines, and flowers she'd glass blown herself, decent at the Forochel art. She also had several personal possessions she'd stored in her room over the many years, including various objects she didn't want her mother knowing she still had.

A steaming hot bath had been drawn for her and she eagerly sank into the water, her muscles relaxing properly. Although the bath wasn't as hot as the hot springs native to Forochel, for the first time in a while, she relaxed into her own thoughts, dreaming while also being vaguely aware of the time. She wondered what her family was doing at the moment, was her mother on another one of her training sprees? Was her father leading the army in successfully defending their borders from the orcs? Would Naoren and Yozora ever give her a fun niece or nephew to babysit and spoil? Seiko dismissed that idea from her mind, they would kill her if she spoiled their kid.

Eventually, Seiko's bath had turned lukewarm and she had to prepare herself for dinner. She washed days of dirt and grime out of her hair, her hair returning to its pure snowy white. She guessed they'd stay for a bit and she could indulge herself into wearing some of her feminine and formal clothes. She donned a pale icy blue full-length kimono, with the neckline a bit looser and lower than normal to provide extra movement and coolness. The sleeves flowed and were embroidered with darker blue flowers and snowy dots, and the dress hem was patterned the same way. The obi was white with silver trimming. It was a looser and flowy kimono since it was a lot warmer in the south than in the northern Forochel land, but still valued the traditional elements; the kimono dress was made from thin silk for a breezier effect. Seiko was notorious for going barefoot whenever she roamed around Rivendell, and she wasn't stopping her streak now.

She knew exactly where the dining hall was and began her way towards it. She passed several elves, many of whom she was acquainted with and passed by with a brief greeting. As she drew nearer to the dining center, she heard beautiful music that was being covered by loud and rambunctious laughter. Ah, she should have known. She'd done up her hair into a fluffy low bun and entered the area with a graceful flourish, her footsteps elegant and silent like when she was on a hunt. Lindir, however, did notice her, and sent her a suffering look with his eyes, clearly referring to the chaotic Dwarves. Seiko smothered her giggles but poorly bit back a grin, to which Lindir did not fail to miss.

"Welcome, Lady Seiko," Elrond greeted her more formally, dipping his head lightly in greeting, a way to show equality in status.

Seiko returned the gesture, sitting down in the empty seat at the high table where Thorin, Gandalf, and Elrond already sat. "The pleasure is mine, Lord Elrond."

Dwalin's eyes narrowed in deep suspicion, "You told us your name was Muzhestvo," he said with a dark undertone. "Why did the elf call you Seiko?!"

Several of the other, more distrusting, dwarves shifted in their seats, their eyes focused intently on Seiko's entire being. She retained her indifferent composure, stirring her salad to prepare it to eat.

"Muzhestvo is rightly my name, I did not lie to you," Seiko said with a purposefully irritably pleasant tone. "Seiko is also my name, Lord Elrond addressed me correctly. Muzhestvo is the name of my family's clan, while Seiko is my given name, the one my parents chose upon the day of birth. Therefore, I never lied to you about my true name." Seiko briefly cast a glance at Nemo and Bilbo, who was listening intently on her words. "In my culture, it is customary to only give our clan name to outsiders initially unless we allow them to use our personal names, so far," Seiko gazed over the dwarves swiftly, "Only Bilbo, Nemo, Gandalf, and Ori have been deemed the privilege of the usage of my personal name."

Nemo blushed a pale red while Bilbo cleared his throat bashfully, Ori just burned an embarrassed crimson, ducking his head a bit to avoid his brothers' stunned looks. Seiko knew perfectly well her response did not please Thorin or Dwalin or Gloin or Dori at all, but she would not bow down. It was her pride, both beautiful and fatally dangerous.

"You do not trust us," Thorin said simply, keeping enough annoyance out of his voice.

"Names are powerful, you do not tell anyone your Khuzdul name, no?"

Dwalin and Thorin bristled at the mention of Seiko knowing of the secret Dwarfish names, but VERY reluctantly subsided with Balin's side glare, to not agitate the situation anymore. Elrond was examining the swords found in the troll horde, Orcrist, and Glamdring, two very famous blades that Seiko felt stupid for not knowing previously. From the corner of her eye, Seiko noticed Bilbo begin to take out his sword and she agreed silently with Balin, it likely wasn't a sword, more like a long knife. She wouldn't really call it a letter opener though. The moment Gandalf told Elrond where they came across the swords, Seiko knew he'd be suspicious and guess the true nature of the quest.

"Is it true that the Forochel also have secret names?" Ori questioned curiously, a bi bolder now that Seiko had indirectly stated her trust in him.

"It is," Seiko confirmed, taking a sip of her lovely, scrumptious wine. "Come to the Hall of Fire tonight, and I will tell as many ancient stories as you'd like. which equals to one or two."

"You will?"

Seiko cringed, knowing that she would regret her promise with those two miscreants around. Elladan and Elrohir crowded behind Seiko's chair with gleaming eyes, no doubt ready to find all the blackmail material they could against her.

"Lady Anemone, has Seiko told you of the time she assured us she wasn't leading us in the wrong way but we ended up in an orc nest?" Elrohir coyly asked, loud enough for everyone in the area to hear him.

"I had a cold that day, my nose wasn't working!" Seiko protested, vaguely aware of Kili choking on his drink while trying to subtly cough out his laughter.

"Or the time she promised she checked the boat for leaks and halfway down the Anduin the boat sank, soaking us all," Elladan slyly chimed in.

"Or the time she boasted she was such a great hunter but failed to notice Niph's _terrible_ trap and was hanging upside down by the foot in Niph's snare. She was screeching horribly like a madwoman with flailing arms and kicking legs."

"She is quite the madwoman, we didn't find her for two hours."

By this time, both Fili's and Kili's faces were red, struggling not to bust out laughing, least Thorin and Dwalin disapprove of their actions. Nori and Bofur had no such reservations, they were laughing loudly at the white-haired woman, while Bilbo was politely looking away, lips pressed together in efforts not to giggle. Nemo was also trying not to make fun of her friend but was failing as snickers were heard under her breath. Even Thorin had the faintest ghost of a grin, but maybe Seiko was imagining it.

"Remember the time she got so drunk she kept serenading the city in the wee hours of the morning and kept busting out of her locked room?" Elrohir sighed happily. "A classic tale for the ages."

"She had such an ugly voice too while drunk, not musical at all."

"That's her voice all the time however, dear brother."

"I'm going to murder the two of you in your sleep," Seiko muttered darkly, her cheeks burned red. "Elrond!" She whirled her head around at the Elvish Lord, who was hastily wiping his smirk away with his napkin. "Your sons are wild maniacs and only seek to make my life harder!"

Elrond raised his eyebrow, setting down his napkin. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who taught them how to sneak around Imladris like little thieves and play the most atrocious pranks on unsuspecting victims, so there is no room for you to complain."

Seiko spluttered incoherently while Kili and Bofur finally shrieked with laughter, and Nori started to cough violently on his drink after taking a sip and choking on it from laughing. Elladan and Elrohir had wide and delighted grins splitting on their faces, and Nemo nearly spilled her plate onto her lap from giggling so hard. Balin and Gandalf both chuckled underneath their long beards and the great Elrond himself smirked to himself behind his ivory napkin.

"I only taught them a bit…" Seiko protested feebly in vain.

Lindir's eyebrow twitched, speaking up for the first time that evening from behind Elrond. "I disagree! You once taught them how to mix up that concoction and when everyone drank it, it made our voices go several tones up in pitch!"

"You're just upset that it made your perfect singing voice go higher than the clouds," Elladan snorted with a dismissive wave of the hand.

Seiko scowled, remembering that incident a bit too well. "I was an unfortunate victim in that scheme too! I helped them accomplish that prank and how did they repay me? By slipping some of the solution into my drink!"

"You deserved it," Lindir retorted.

"Where's your sense of humor, Lindy?" Elrohir childishly poked Lindir's side having crept onto the minstrel and a fiery spark of mischievousness suddenly lit in his eyes.

Lindir's eyebrow twitched again. "Don't call me Lindy, it's appalling," he hissed, slapping away Elrohir's poking fingers.

"Don't antagonize him," Elrond ordered his sons strongly.

"Us? Never! We're innocent angels!"

Fili grinned at Bombur, "I have a sudden urge to show up at this Hall of Fire tonight."


	7. The Halls of Fire

**I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. Neither do I own Peter Jackson's work with the movie series. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Dinner ended with Seiko dumping her wine on Elrohir's head for insulting her (atrocious) cooking skills and Elrohir had retaliated by tossing her salad onto her lap. It nearly started a food fight but Elrond stomped on that idea insanely fast. So instead Seiko settled for stuffing some of the ice that was leftover from her wine down Elrohir's tunic as the last word, causing him to squeal and dance around, trying to get the ice cube out. It earned her a small, amused, and hidden grin from Thorin, no matter how childish she was. Mission accomplished. She might have started a prank war in the process but would cross that road later.

She had passed by the Dwarves, who were naked, playing in one of the fountains near her room; she had seen them from her balcony. Her poor brain would never get the image out now. In a walkway near the fountain, Seiko had noticed Lindir withering unhappily by the Dwarves' coarseness, while Elrond just merely looked resigned. She had a good hour or so before the Hall of Fire, so she was relaxing on the balcony outside of her room, looking out up at the twinkling stars. She wondered if her dad was looking up at the same stars. With a twitch of her ears, she heard Saika walking down the hall, and she emerged into view, her white fur glowing majestically in the moonlight. With ease, Saika laid down lazily, enjoying the time next to her rider.

"Did you enjoy your deer?" Seiko asked, only halfway paying attention as she was still stargazing.

Saika yawned carelessly, "It was absolutely glorious, roasted venison with a side of a fried squirrel."

"Ah, sounds like you're quite the satisfied diner," Seiko chuckled quietly, reaching down and scratching Saika behind the ears. "What do you think of the Quest?"

"As a predication or so far?"

"Either."

Saika lowered her head onto her paws for more comfort. "I think we have more important things to do. The orc sightings near Gundabad are getting more frequent, and the Misty Mountains are bustling with more goblins, numbers we haven't seen in-"

"Over four hundred years," Seiko finished grimly. "Anything else?"

Saika's green eyes glanced upwards at her rider. "I think Eru wants us on this quest for a reason, and on this quest, we shall stay."

Seiko smiled softly. "Me too. Me too."

She leaned back against the balcony's pillar, enjoying the feeling of the night wind tousling her hair. It was relaxing, with the continuous rhythm of the waterfall and the stars shining above her. Yet she did promise Ori, Bilbo, and Nemo that she'd tell stories, and she'd depart soon to the Hall of Fire. But for just a few more minutes, she'd savor fleeting moments of peace and sanctuary. Despite this, she somehow found herself seated in the Hall of Fire on several cushions she'd nicked from various places on the way. Most of the Dwarves were present, laughing gaily and being… loud, with the elves who were there tending to stray far away from the Dwarves. For some reason, there were more elves than usual.

Seiko herself lounged on the cushions, listening to the tales the Dwarves were telling one another. She particularly enjoyed hearing about Fili's cooking mishaps (thank Melkor's underpants she wasn't the only one), and Nori's failed thievery attempts against Dwalin. Nemo was taking in all the stories with carefully watered-down excitement, while Bilbo was a bit queasy hearing about the near-death experiences and other perilous things.

"Miss Seiko, what about your stories?" Ori inquired politely, causing all eyes to be on her.

Oh. They wanted to hear her play as a storyteller, and by they, she meant the gossiping elves. Seiko wiggled a bit to make herself more comfortable, sitting crisscrossed on the cushions and cleared her throat.

"A story?" She started off thoughtfully. "Any suggestions?"

"A battle!" Gloin spoke up heartily. "Tell us of a tale of fighting valor!"

His words roused hearty agreements from the majority of the other Dwarves. She couldn't tell very well if Gloin was mocking her or truly interested in her adventures or just like a good battle story. He probably was mocking her. Quickly, Seiko chose the particular story she didn't mind sharing as much.

"In the year 550 of the First Age," Seiko began dramatically, using her hands to make wild hand gestures. "The Hosts of the Valar, made of the Elves, Dwarves, the Edain, the Maiar, the Great Eagles, were still locked in the war against the vast armies of the wicked Morgoth, the fallen Vala, with his legions of orcs, Balrogs, wolves, and evil men. The Great Battle had been raging for many years, and the casualties were piling higher than the Mountains of Angband. The Kings and Queens of the Forochel had not wanted originally to become involved in the conflict, for they had once waged war at the request of the Valar against Melkor and his evil creatures during the times of the Great Lamps, and they had been defeated soundly with nothing to show for it. They blame the Valar, who had done nothing in the fight and the Great Lamps Illuin and Ormal had still fallen, and the Valar had fled, abandoning the Yokai of Forochel."

Nemo's eyes were wide, completely entranced in the story. The Dwarves were intrigued, having never heard the account of the War of Wrath from the side of the Forochel. The Elves were also curious, for only a very small handful of elves were left from the War of Wrath, and also had their own versions of the war.

"The Rulers of the Forochel strengthened their borders in efforts to keep Morgoth out, not wanting to be dragged into the mess of the Elves," Seiko continued regally. "However, one of the Princesses of the Neko was valiant and brave and despaired at the suffering of the other kingdoms of Middle Earth. She begged her great grandmother, who was the Queen and head of the Neko Clan, to call a Gathering of the Eight Clans of the Forochel and convince them to fight to help the other peoples. Queen Pimiko of the Neko was moved by her great granddaughter's valor and conviction and did as she was asked. The leaders of the Eight Clans gathered and had a great council to decide if they would go to war or not."

Saika had wandered into the hall now, trotting over to Nemo and plopping herself down, allowing Nemo to sink into the fluffy fur of her side. Seiko smiled gently, her wolf was really a big softie, no matter what Saika protested.

"Their decision was not to go to war, which angered the young Neko princess. She did not understand that the leaders were trying to prevent another fruitless massacre of their people like so long ago, and she called them cowards. Her great grandmother was deeply wounded by her great granddaughter's words but resolved to do what she thought was best for the Neko Clan. That night, the King of the Kitsune had a dream, but it was a vision from Eru Ilúvatar himself. Eru told King Yoruo to go to war against Morgoth, for it was his will in his Great Plan. King Yoruo would not go against Eru, and so the next morning he called for another Council, telling the other leaders what Eru had commanded them to do. The other leaders did not hesitate to believe Yoruo, for they knew none would lie about a command from their creator, Eru."

"Together, the Eight Clans of the Forochel, Shirokuma, Ookami, Neko, Washi, Kitsune, Shachi, Tonakai, and Fukuro, rallied their mighty forces and marched to the south, taking the Orcs of the north in surprise, the Forochel leaders wanted to group up with the Hosts of the Valar in the south before storming Angband. The Ookami, Neko, Tonakai, Shirokuma, and Kitsune fought fiercely on the ground, while the Washi and Fukuro battled in the skies. The Shachi, who ride the great killer whales, attacked the ships of orcs and men on the seas. Together, with the Hosts of the Valar, they drove back the Orcs all the way to Angband, and gained the upper hand, until the year 587 of the First Age, Morgoth fully unleashed his most destructive weapons…" Seiko paused for a dramatic effect.

"The dragons," Thorin rumbled from the far corner.

Seiko was surprised he was listening but smiled to himself. Perhaps it was she who needed to be more courteous. "Yes, the dragons, with the most powerful and largest Dragon leading them, Ancalagon the Black. He was massive! He was larger than mountains, with razor-sharp talons and teeth bigger than me! With one breath of roaring flames, he destroyed an entire flank of the Tonakai. The other dragons were not as large as Ancalagon but were still incredibly dangerous and lethal. The dragons drove back the Hosts of the Valar, decimating numbers beyond belief. The Washi and the Fukuro took the fight to the skies, being the only ones who had the ability of flight, and slew many dragons. Tragically, many of the Washi and Fukuro were slaughtered, their bloody and broken bodies falling to the earth like dying stars," Seiko murmured that last part more quietly, her fingers imitating falling stars.

"Many of the Forochel Yokai lost their lives fighting, as was feared by the leaders, but they fought for freedom, and for Eru. Queen Pimiko, the ruler of all the Neko, was slain defending a contingent of Neko warriors, protecting them to the very end. Her great-granddaughter, who had called her a coward, could not save her great grandmother, who died smiling in her arms. The Neko Princess was devastated, for she had learned through years of war that a ruler's true duty was to defend their people till the very end. She took up her great grandmother's swords and was a monster on the battlefield, any orc that crossed her path were killed instantly.

"The dragons still raged and terrorized the skies, and all seemed hopelessly bleak. But then, Eärendil the Mariner, one of the last living descendants of the House of Finwë in Middle Earth, sailed with his sky-ship Vingilot along with the Great Eagles of Manwë led by Thorondor, joined the weary Fukuro and Washi in battling against the dragons. The young Neko Princess, Yumemi, and the younger Ookami Prince Atsushi sailed with Eärendil in Vingilot, slaying the dragons. Eärendil himself struck Ancalagon with a fatal blow, but it was Yumemi and Atsushi who dealt the killing strike, and down that fell beast went, falling from the sky and breaking the towers of Thangorodrim. Morgoth was chained and beheaded, thrown into the Void until the end of time. Angband had fallen," Seiko said, nearing the end of her tale.

"Yet destruction and decimation plagued all the land. Beleriand, the western portion of Middle Earth, was sunk entirely and drowned under the ocean, and the Hosts of the Valar returned to Valinor, across the sea. The Yokai of the Forochel were in complete disarray. Much of their armies had been wiped out from the War, it was near a total massacre. The civilians at home waged their own skirmishes with lingering orcs, and many of the Yokai at home were killed defending their lands, even children were not spared. The northern Forodwaith had become wastelands of blood and silence, as the many years of bloodshed had taken its toll in the North. Some of the Washi that survived merged with the Great Eagles of Manwë, making their home in the Misty Mountains and serving as the Forochel's messengers. The few Shachi left retreated deep under the icy waters of the frozen ocean, rarely speaking with outsiders.

"Tragically, the majority of the royal families of the clans were killed in the War, fighting with their people until their last breath. Every single member of the royal families of that time had fought beside their armies, and paid the price," Seiko sighed, remembering the devastation. "Only one or two of each of the eight clans' royal houses survived the carnage, and they were the youngest of their families, but were expected to rule over the shattered Forochel kingdoms. The eight clans' numbers were nearing extinction, and the newly crowned kings and queens knew it. They merged together to become one United Kingdom, choosing Prince Atsushi of the Ookami as the High King. High King Atsushi still reigns to this day, known as the King of the Northern Ice and as one of the Three Slayers of Ancalagon the Black," Seiko concluded regally.

Silence ruled the Hall of Fire for a moment, before most of the Dwarves burst into vigorous applause, the younger ones and more scholarly of the Dwarves enjoying the tale. Even Thorin and Gloin seemed pleased to some degree. Nemo and Bilbo were both fascinated by the story, and the elves took a second of silence in memory of their kin lost all those years ago. Saika yawned, having heard the tale many times before, but savoring the moments of laziness she could catch.

"Were you there?" Bilbo asked, earning a loud bout of laughter from the Dwarves.

"Surely not!" Bofur said with a wide grin of amusement. "The War of Wrath was over 6000 years ago!"

"I was not, I was born about 2000 years after the Second Age began," Seiko said, revealing her true age to the Dwarves. "But both of my parents fought in the Great Battle of the First Age. Most of my family was killed in it."

Kili's mouth dropped open in shock. "You say you're 4000 years old?"

"Correction, I'm 3941 years old," Seiko said with a hint of a smirk.

Seiko scuttled more to the side, letting others take up the storytelling and singing in the Hall of Fire. The Dwarves had departed, but the hobbits had stayed. The twins were currently telling of the time Seiko had taken Elladan, Elrohir, Haldir, Legolas, and Estel out for a camping trip. It had ended disastrously as they were nearly eaten by a bear, Elrohir had accidentally broken his arm, and Seiko had found herself hanging in a snare… again. Of course, Elladan and Elrohir were giving the most unflattering descriptions of her, and she flung a cushion at their heads, knocking Elladan to the ground.

"Excellent aim," Lindir complimented her, sitting with the other musicians and his lute in his hands.

Seiko beamed, "Why, thank you," she said.

Elladan grumbled on the cold stone floor. "Why don't you tell us another story then, since you seem to not prefer ours?"

Seiko's eye twitched and Elladan smirked. "I'm out of creative juice," Seiko said darkly, but another thought popped into her head. "Saika, watashi no niko o tori ni ikimasen ka?"

Saika pushed herself to her paws, glowering a bit. "Hai, hai," she said before bouncing off.

Saika returned a minute later, with the musical instrument very delicately situated in her mouth. Seiko took it gratefully, tuning it for a second.

"Gen o kamimasendeshita yo ne?" Seiko asked, taking the bow and readying it to play.

Saika snorted, returning to her spot near the fire. "Īe, bakadesu."

Seiko cleared her throat, fingering the strings before playing, once again making her the center of attention. The music produced expressive sounds, higher-pitched to other instruments of Elves or Dwarves. Her music told a tale in itself, of first contentment, then sorrow and tragedy. Of a great battle of long ago, of a maiden singing by a lake of blue blossoms, and of the sky dancing with bright colored lights. Lastly, the music turned to joyful peace, with the final notes ringing of true selfless love. When she finished, she realized she had made Nemo cry.

"Beautiful," Lindir breathed. "What is it called?"

"The instrument is called a Niko," Seiko explained to the fellow musician. "It's a two-stringed instrument, and the bow is used to make the music, like your western fiddle. The Niko is native to my homeland."

"May I?" Lindir inquired politely, still entranced by the instrument.

Seiko carefully handed her precious niko to Lindir, knowing he'd be very gentle it, and sat in the empty chair next to him. He examined it curiously, tenderly holding it and turning it over to see the other side. Bilbo followed the Dwarves, wishing to explore more of Rivendell. Nemo remained, enjoying the cultural experiences she was getting.

"Remarkable, I would have not known such wonderful music could be made with only two strings and a bow," Lindir said, handing the niko back to Seiko.

"Yes, it's my favorite to play," Seiko admitted, holding her niko gently. "My father gifted this particular niko to me on my 2000th birthday, and he loves it when I play for him."

"Do you play more?" Lindir asked, intrigued.

Lindir and Seiko had known each other over the years due to Seiko's visits to Rivendell. Often they found themselves on babysitter duty with Elrond's children and had been on friendly terms. However, as the years progressed, Seiko grew busier and her visits to Rivendell slowed significantly, and the two had never had much interaction outside of babysitting or the occasional passing in the halls. She also had rarely revealed her musical talents while in Rivendell, being busy with other things and tasks. It was nice to discuss music with him, as she knew he was also a minstrel in addition to serving Elrond.

"I play the taiko drums, the koto, the shakuhachi, the niko, and the shamisen," Seiko said. "What about you?"

"The lute, harp, and flute," Lindir responded, gesturing to the lute he held. "My favorite is the harp, it's quite relaxing and soothing to play, and produces the most melodious sounds."

Seiko nodded in understanding, glad to have a conversation with someone who appreciated music. "How are you taking the Dwarves so far?"

Lindir visibly shriveled in distaste, "They are Lord Elrond's guests, and I will do what my Lord has commanded, to treat them as such."

"I'm talking about your personal feelings on them," Seiko clarified. "Your words are safe with me."

Lindir hesitated for a minute before spilling. "They're loud, uncouth, rude, and are certainly the worst houseguests I've ever known. They're giving me much stress and anxiety, and it's not that I dislike Dwarves, although I will admit I'm a bit wary of them, they do not care about being courteous to others!" He finished his mini-rant with a slight embarrassed flush on his cheeks as if he were ashamed of speaking things about Elrond's guests.

"I agree with you, they're quite unruly," Seiko said, recalling the lack of manners. "But I've found great loyalty, bravery, and pride in them while traveling with them."

Lindir hummed his agreement. "I do not disagree with that."

Seiko eyed him with careful precision. "You remember the tenacity and fighting spirit of Dwarves from the War then?"

"It's been almost 3000 years since then, but I have no forgotten," Lindir said wispily, both of them now recalling memories older than the Third Age itself.

"Why do you leave your sword in its scabbard?" Seiko asked, remembering a time where Lindir wielded it with great skill. "You were one of Gil-Galad's finest warriors and after the War of the Last Alliance, you chose the role of minstrel and glorified secretary."

Lindir was silent for a bit, gathering an answer. The fire crackled as they were some of the last ones left in the Hall of Fire.

"I was young when I wished to be a warrior," Lindi quietly confessed. "During the War of the Last Alliance, I learned how terrible war truly is, and it was not in my heart to continue as a warrior anymore. I chose music since that is one of my loves, and Lord Elrond has always been good to me, even when I served Gil-Galad. I still do practice with my old sword, every so often, Lord Elrond does not wish for me to lose my skill with a blade."

It was a fine answer, and Seiko understood. There were times where she felt burdened by all the killing she'd done, even if it was in battle, and felt pressured to dropping the sword.

"Battles are ugly affairs," Seiko murmured, the mirrored fire flickering in her eyes.

"Indeed, just don't tell Elladan or Elrohir, they might play even more horrendous tricks on me." Lindir sighed, glancing at the slowly shrinking fire then rising from his chair. "Forgive me, I must return to my duties."

"The pleasure was mine, it was good to have a conversation when we haven't in many years," Seiko said, rising as well, taking her niko with her.

Lindir bowed shallowly in niceties. "Thank you for allowing me to examine your precious instrument, I bid you good night."

Seiko snickered to herself, "Good luck with the Dwarves," she said lastly as she left the Hall of Fire.

She didn't have to turn around to see Lindir's expression of disappointment and dismay. Saika followed her, and the two returned to Seiko's room. Saika immediately hopped onto the large bed and curled up to sleep, resolving to take a little run for fun the next morning. Seiko delicately laid her niko back into the case and changed from the icy-blue kimono that she wore to dinner and in the Hall of Fire to a plain, loose black dress. It fell to her mid shins and was sleeveless with the straps an inch thick yet incredibly flowing, it was one she wore for sleeping and days where she lazed around. Seiko had just finished pulling all the pins and ornaments out of her hair that had kept her white tresses in a beautiful bun when the door knocked. With her hair completely free and loose, it fell to her waist; she glided to the door and opened it, revealing an Elven handmaiden. The Elleth alerted Seiko that Gandalf and Thorin had both requested her presence with Lord Elrond.

Seiko was again, surprised at Thorin's actions, but set off immediately to answer their summons. She passed the Dwarves using some furniture they'd probably nicked as wood for a campfire with their bedrolls strewn around the pavilion, declining the rooms Elrond had offered. She grimaced to herself, walking by briskly so they wouldn't notice her and mentally shot Lindir a bit of extra good luck. He was going to cry once he saw the property damage. The Dwarves' loud laughter echoed throughout the nearby corridors, and she heard them drifting behind her as she made her way to Elrond. Perhaps it was now time for the map of Erebor's secrets to be revealed.

* * *

**The translations, please note I did use Google Translates so these translations are very rough. **

**Saika, watashi no niko o tori ni ikimasen ka: Saika, could you please go get my erhu?**

**Hai, Hai: Yes, yes**

**Gen o kamimasendeshita yo ne: You didn't bite the strings, right? **

**Īe, bakadesu: No, you idiot **


	8. Tapestries, Hair Dye, and Music

**I do not own any rights to Tolkien's work in any way. Neither do I own Peter Jackson's work with the movie series. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_Earlier that day, after dinner but before the Hall of Fire…_

Nemo was enthralled by Rivendell and its magnificent beauty and wonder. The elves were quite pleasant and helpful, no matter what the Dwarves said. She and Bilbo had taken a bit of time out of the day to explore some of the halls at their leisure, granted by Lord Elrond himself. She'd heard some tales of the majestic elven city from Bilbo's mother, Belladonna, but the tales simply didn't do justice for how beautiful Imladris truly was. She and Bilbo entered an open hallway, where a statue held the shards of a broken sword, and a large mural on the wall depicted an ancient battle. Nemo's blue eyes were captivated by the mural, the artwork was stunning, and the old story behind it… intrigued her. She had a feeling, deep in her heart, that the mural represented an especially important and pivotal battle in history.

"That was the last battle fought in the War of the Last Alliance, at the end of the Second Age," a voice familiar to her, and Bilbo said, jolting the silence out of the corridor. "The Siege of Barad-dûr had lasted seven years, and that battle was the victory against Sauron and his conquest."

Nemo and Bilbo whirled around, spotting Seiko in the archway. A sadder glint had briefly appeared in Seiko's visible silver eye, but it vanished abruptly. Saika was nowhere to be spotted.

"And the sword?" Bilbo questioned curiously, glancing back at the pieces of the metal sword.

A small wry smile (perhaps slightly a grimace) folded onto Seiko's lips. "The shards of Narsil, the sword of King Elendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor. His sword was broken by Sauron in that last battle."

Nemo's eye caught another mural in another section of the hall, and she padded over to it. It was actually a tapestry, the fabric a dark blue, deep like the shadowy sea. Names were written in shining silver thread. It was a lineage tapestry; a snowflake woven from silver thread was stitched into the fabric in the corner.

"The Ookkami Royal Lineage of the Forochel," Bilbo read off from the wording stitched from thread at the top.

"The Ookami Clan was the strongest of the eight clans, and their line has married into the other clans except for the Tonakai and Shachi, who intermarried themselves later on," Seiko elaborated. "Our current ruler, Emperor Atsushi, is the great-grandson of the first Ookami leader, which is why the Ookami Royal Lineage is the most remembered. However, there's just too many people to list if you want the entire royal lineage from all eight clans, it wouldn't fit on a tapestry. Trust me, my mother tried."

"I thought you referred to your Emperor as High King Atsushi," Bilbo inquired, stumbling a bit over the name.

Seiko shrugged, "High King is easier to understand for those unfamiliar with the Forochel Imperial political system. Emperor is a term rather unheard of anywhere south of the Forochel."

Nemo tilted her head inquisitively, a bit like a snowy owl, as her eyes landed on a particular name, listed as the eldest nephew of the Emperor. "This name, it has a black cross next to it. Why's that?"

She should have realized the moment she saw the black cross, but Nemo didn't even think of not asking the question until she did, and instantly regretted it. A dark look washed over Seiko's face very briefly, but both Nemo and Bilbo saw it. It was a look full of sorrow, grief, and anger.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything-" Nemo hastily tried to backtrack and apologize; she had figured out the relationship between the name on the tapestry and Seiko, and was appalled at herself for causing Seiko sadness.

"He was killed during the Siege of Barad-dûr, by Sauron himself," Seiko said quietly. "There's nothing to be sorry for, it was just a question. I'll see you later at the Halls of Fire."

Seiko stepped out of the hall, her footsteps nearly inaudible echoes as she disappeared down the corridor. No matter what Seiko assured her, Nemo felt guilty about stirring old and painful memories for her friend. Bilbo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she accepted it gratefully; it still didn't ease the guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

As Seiko strolled through the halls of Imladris, her mind vaguely remembered the conversation she had with Nemo, though Bilbo had been present. It wasn't Nemo's fault, she didn't blame her at all, just natural curiosity. It didn't stop it from hurting though.

_You'd think after over 2000 years, I would stop grieving so much for him_, Seiko thought bitterly. _But how can I? I loved him, I still do, and I will till the days of my death or the Dagor Dagorlath_.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head temporarily as she swiftly climbed the stone steps to where she smelled Balin, Thorin, Bilbo, Elrond, and Gandalf. She figured Nemo must not have been invited by Thorin, which led her to question why she was there. She arrived in the middle of an argument between Thorin and Gandalf, two of the most stubborn in the Company. Elrond noticed her arrival and dipped his head silently in greeting, with Seiko returning the gesture. She was horribly underdressed by the Western standards but oh well.

"Our business is no concern of Elves," Thorin haughtily declared, only showing his distrust of Lord Elrond.

Gandalf was about to bash his head on the rocks in exasperation, "for goodness sake. Thorin, show him the map!"

"It is the legacy of my people," Thorin argued back. "It's mine to protect! As are its secrets."

"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!" Gandalf half pleaded and half harrumphed. "Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond!"

Thorin still appeared unwilling. Seiko now understood the situation, as well as Thorin's reluctance. However, she did agree with Gandalf on this matter.

"If I may speak my opinion," Seiko tried to recall the diplomatic lessons her mother had tried (and failed) to pound into her head as a teen, but honestly even if she had a bit more respect for Thorin now, she absolutely sucked at diplomacy. "I would show Lord Elrond the map. He's one of the wisest of the elves on these shores, he's a valuable ally and dear friend of mine, and he does not wish you any ill will. He can help you tremendously if you'd let him."

A heavy look came set in Thorin's eyes as he contemplated his options. After a brief moment, he somewhat reluctantly handed the map to Lord Elrond.

"Thorin, no!" Balin protested but was paid no mind from his king.

Elrond carefully took the map, aware of the fragile state the paper was in. "Erebor," Elrond mused, his eyes darting to Gandalf suspiciously. "What is your interest in this map?"

"It's mainly academic," Gandalf hastily tried to interject, attempting to conceal the true purpose of the quest from Elrond, earning a semi grateful look from Thorin. "As you know, this sort of artifacts sometimes contains hidden text. You still read ancient Dwarvish, do you not?"

Seiko snorted ungracefully, realizing something that possibly would have saved some headaches and time along the way. "Oh."

Bilbo raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, "Oh?" He echoed back.

Seiko sheepishly grimaced, "Sorry? If I had known the map was in ancient Dwarvish, I could have read it."

Balin and Bilbo expressed mirror astounded faces of shock (and perhaps amusement from Elrond), while Thorin brewed a nasty storm.

"What?" Thorin said lowly, eyes dark and voice stony.

"I never saw the map, but I assumed it was in normal Khudzul, which I can't read," Seiko explained apologetically. "I feel fairly idiotic now for not even thinking it obviously was in ancient Dwarvish."

Thorin painfully swallowed whatever angry words he was about to spout off and just clamped his mouth shut, watching Elrond for his translations.

"I was wondering why you had not requested Seiko to try to translate the map," Elrond said more to Gandalf. "She is, after all, also among the few to study the old Dwarvish texts."

It was Gandalf's turn to laugh sheepishly. "Must have slipped my mind," he admitted under his breath.

"I haven't read anything of Dwarvish make in several years. It seems we're both forgetful fools," Seiko muttered back. "I'm such a dumb idiot."

Elrond's attention had shifted back to the map, with Seiko peeking around him, trying to read it along with the elven lord. "Cirth Ithil," Elrond remarked, making Seiko grumbled internally to herself.

Her skills were getting rusty if she couldn't even recognize the Dwarvish Cirith Ithil quickly anymore. Her brother was right, she _was_ getting old and slow, not that she'd even admit that to him. His ego was already inflated enough.

"Moon runes," Gandalf rumbled deeply, coming to the same conclusion as Seiko. "Of course. An easy thing to miss."

"Well in this case, that is true," Elrond agreed, again, with a hint of amusement toward Seiko, who glowered hilariously. "Moon runes can only be read by the light of the moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written."

"Can you read them?" Thorin asked lowly, and Seiko detected a hint of desperation leaking into his voice.

Elrond nodded solemnly. "These runes were written on a midsummer's eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield. The same moon shines upon us tonight," Elrond had led them to a pavilion underneath a thin flowing waterfall.

The moon and stars reflected off of the water, making the waterfall seemingly glow silver in the night. It honestly looked ethereally beautiful to Seiko and reminded her of her own homeland. A transparent large stone acted as a table at the end of the stone cliff, Elrond placed the map on the stone right under the moon. As the moon's light shone onto the map, it revealed the glowing moon runes.

"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole," Elrond translated.

"Durin's Day?" Bilbo murmured, unfamiliar with the dwarven custom.

"It is the start of the Dwarven new year when the last moon of Autumn and the first sun of Winter appear in the sky together," Gandalf explained, proving every race had their own traditions and holidays.

Thorin mulled over all the new information, gears turning in his head. "This is ill news. Summer is passing, Durin's Day will soon be upon us."

"We still have time," Balin said assuredly.

"Time for what?" Bilbo echoed again.

"To find the entrance," Balin said determinedly, looking around at his companions. "We have to be standing at exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened."

"So this is your purpose, to enter the mountain," Elrond said, his grey eyes bearing deeply onto the Dwarves.

"What of it?" Thorin asked rhetorically, narrowing his eyes darkly at the elven lord.

If Elrond found it disrespectful, he didn't say anything about it. "There are some who would not deem it wise," Elrond advised calmly, handing the map back to Thorin in goodwill.

"Who do you mean?" Gandalf pressed for answers.

Elrond turned to give Gandalf an opaque and possibly warning glance. "You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-earth."

Seiko exchanged a glance with Bilbo, noting his inquisitive burning eyes. _The White Council_, she mouthed to him. Oh, something was definitely up if Elrond got the White Council involved. She wondered briefly if that meant her father was coming, but she doubted it. He would have sent a message by now or Elrond would have told her.

* * *

Thorin alerted her (as kind as he could considering she _knew_ he hadn't forgotten her blunder with forgetting her Dwarvish) that he planned to leave in two days' time, the morning after the next. Therefore, she calculated she had about an entire day left in Imladris to relax and spend time with some friends she hadn't seen in a long while. But for now, all she wanted was a nice sleep in her fluffy bed. Again, she passed by the makeshift campfire and campsite the dwarves had made in the middle of a pavilion (she was positive Lindir and Erestor were going to throw some hands in a tizzy fit in the morning once they saw it). Bofur saw her walking by, his face curling into a cheerful grin.

"Oi! Miss Muzhestvo!" Bofur called out. "Come and sit with us by the fire! Share some sausage!"

Seiko didn't even try to bite back a wry grin. "Sausage I presume, you nicked from the kitchens?"

"You presume correctly."

She sat herself down next to Nori, slapping his hands away absentmindedly when he tried to pickpocket her (she didn't even have pockets!). She listened for a time hearing outrageous tales of their adventures, she was fairly certain Kili's story of how he narrowly escaped twenty snarling wolves was very embellished, the same said for Bifur's recounting of barely avoiding being cooked for dinner by another set of trolls. Still, they were quite amusing. However, she didn't doubt for a second that Dwalin's story of how he and Thorin once got lost for days on end in the Blue Mountains because Thorin lost the map wasn't true. It was also particularly hilarious.

"How about you, lassie?" Bombur turned his question to her. "Got any more stories besides history ones?"

A coy smile formed on her lips. "A certain one does come to mind," Seiko replied cheekily. "I was quite young, appearing about seven or eight. My elder brothers and I had this marvelous idea to dye our uncle's pale-colored hair with ink from his study to match my aunt's, who has black hair. So, we, being mischievous little cretins, employed the aid of our cousins to concoct a sleeping drink to drug our uncle with."

Fili nearly spewed his drink to try to not burst out into a fit of giggles. Bofur's grin was wicked as if he already knew where this was going.

"My cousins nicked a book from the healing ward that told them how properly whip up a sleeping drug, and we left it in our uncle's study, leaving a forged note signed from our aunt as a pretense of a refreshing drink, a break from his work," Seiko snorted unflatteringly, recalling the incident in her memories quite clearly. "He ended up passing out on his couch. Like little thieves, we whipped out the ink and towels, and dyed his dark and fled so fast."

"I bet he was a raging monster when he woke up," Nori snickered, imagining the trouble Seiko would have gotten into.

Seiko let out a harsh but delighted laugh. "Oh, he was absolutely furious. He stormed into the dining area, hair tangled, and knotted with blots of ink since we were terribly hair stylists. It was at that moment that my siblings, my cousins, and I knew, we were dead. Our aunt didn't help matters, she could barely breathe because she was hysterically laughing. Our father also thought it was hilarious but my mother gave him one look and he tried to quit giggling but did a poor job concealing it." Seiko poorly stifled another giggle. "I think our uncle would have happily flung us into the freezing ocean, his own daughters included, but I think I would have gladly taken that to what our mother punished us with."

"With?" Kili prompted eagerly.

"Kitchen clean up, stable clean up, mopping duty, and laundry duty for five months," Seiko dryly responded. "One month for each participant in the prank. The good thing is it took a week for the ink to wash out completely from my uncle's hair, so he suffered with us. Of course, then I got the favor returned to me hundreds of years later when I babysat Elrond's sons and they sneakily dyed my hair with black ink as well."

Her story of a moment of childish stupidity elicited uproarious and hearty laughs, earning a small smile from Seiko.

"You say you have elder brothers?" Dwalin inquired gruffly, seemingly determined to pry as much information as he could.

Seiko nodded, "Two. Higure was the oldest and Naoren is the middle sibling."

"Was?"

Seiko bit her bottom lip in response to Ori's prodding. "You really expect every single member of a family to make it out alive from a war?" Her rhetoric left them pondering and mulling over their own losses. "Like I told Nemo earlier, he was killed during the Siege of Barad-dûr, by Sauron himself." The silence was stifling and the heat overbearing. Or was it just her heart pounding and the ugly memories resurfacing again? Seiko swiftly stood to her feet, brushing off a few stray ashes from her nightdress. "It's rather late, I bid you all a good night and I'll see you in the morning."

"You're not going to stay with us?" Gloin harrumphed.

"I have a room reserved for me whenever I visit Rivendell, and it is there I will sleep tonight," Seiko answered, a bit more rudely than she intended.

And off she disappeared, with nothing but the dark, sorrowful memories plaguing her. Her room was dark, with Saika sleeping already on the floor near the bed. Carefully tiptoeing around the slumbering white wolf, Seiko made it to the bed and collapsed onto it. By Eru, it had been a long day. She fell asleep near-instantly, and luckily for her, the nightmares and memories of the War of the Last Alliance did not seize her dreams. She did, however, dream about Thorin stuffed in a bright, frilly, pink kimono with ink blots matting his hair, and he was lost in a forest of melted chocolate and peppermint. That was weird but incredibly comedic. Not that she'd ever tell him about her dream. Nah, she'd keep that to herself.

Breakfast the next morning was quaint, the dwarves choose to eat by themselves in their makeshift camp. Bilbo and Nemo though decided to join Seiko, Elrond, his sons, Erestor, Glorfindel, and Niphredil for breakfast.

"Good morning Seiko," Niphredil greeted warmly.

She was the youngest child and daughter of Elrond, taking much after her mother Celebrian, with long silvery-white hair and deep leaf green eyes and skin as pale as fair snow. Ironically, she was the youngest of her siblings, but the only one who was married, similarly to her husband, who had three older brothers, but he was the only one married as well.

"Niph," Seiko affectionally called her while seating herself down. "I didn't know you were in Rivendell this season."

"I'm visiting for a few months, I'll be returning home in mid-winter," Niphredil clarified.

Seiko beamed brightly, "It's good to see you too."

After breakfast, Elladan and Elrohir dragged Seiko on an expedition to steal some honey cakes from the kitchens, as last time, Erestor busted them. They figured Seiko would be able to smell the cooks coming and thus give them a few more seconds to escape. Elrohir was to sneak into the kitchen and snag the cakes while Seiko was the lookout, and Elladan was to stall the cooks. In the end, it ended terribly with Elladan tripping over a pot and being doused in flour, and Seiko accidentally inhaled some of the flour powder and kept sneezing a storm, and Elrohir was kicked out of the kitchen before he could snatch a single honey cake.

"Well, we tried," Elrohir said cheerfully, sitting on one of the stone benches in the gardens.

"And failed miserably," Seiko snorted before sneezing a giant and loud sneeze. "Damn flour."

Nemo slithered up next to them, handing them each a honey cake. "Some compensation for your attempt today."

Elladan's jaw dropped in disbelief. "How did you get one so easily?"

"I asked," Nemo said simply. "The cooks thought I was adorable, with my short height and everything, and gave them to me freely."

She then scampered away merrily, leaving the three idiots pondering how to exploit the hobbits' cuteness the next time honey cakes were up for grabs. One would think adults who were several thousand years old would behave like actual adults, but Glorfindel claimed they never grew out of the teen phase of life. They parted their ways, and Seiko caught a glimpse of the Dwarves training in the training grounds, their swords and hammers flashing. All in good fun and training, she supposed. She thought briefly about joining them but decided she wanted to spend her day in Rivendell relaxing more and less gruel training. She'd probably have plenty of time to practice on the road.

While wandering around a bit, her ears prickled, hearing the distinct melodious sounds of a harp. Instinctively, her feet walked towards the music, leading her to a more secluded pavilion next to the apple trees. Lindir sat in the middle, his fingers tenderly plucking the strings of the harp. She sat on the railing, her eyes captivated at the way his fingers flew across the strings, creating music full of empathy and soul. He finally noticed her a third of the way into his song, though he sang no words, and jolted a bit with startlement when he saw Seiko.

"Oh, it's just you," he breathed in relief.

Her lips curled in a playful smirk. "Just me?" She echoed.

"Well, although you are quite the mischievous visitor, you at least appreciate music," Lindir reasoned. "I was a bit nervous that it was the twins or Estel sneaking up to play a prank on me. The little devils have corrupted that sweet boy," Lindir muttered the last bit under his breath.

Seiko poorly hid her snort with a cough. "I think Estel would have been corrupted either way, don't forget, Niph had her fair share in teaching Estel how to play devious tricks."

Lindir sighed resolutely. "That's certainly true as well." He turned his head back towards Seiko. "Did you or someone else need me?"

"Ah, no," Seiko waved her hand dismissively. "I just heard you and followed the sound of the harp. Please, continue."

And so he did. She wondered if the music Lindir created was an actual song or one of his own original envisions. She heard the tale of the sea and its sorrows, of the twinkling stars in spring, of swords and ships, and the fall of noble Kings in battle. Such sorrow yet such profound joy amid grief, and happiness in the darkness. When he finished, she smiled softly.

"Absolutely lovely," Seiko declared. "Is it one of yours?"

"In the making," Lindir said, a bit shyly. "I've been working on it for a while, you're the first to hear it still in the drafting process."

'I'm truly honored," Seiko assured him, knowing how many musicians were about revealing their work unfinished. "What is it called?"

"_The Fading of the Noldor_," Lindir said. "Specifically, in remembrance of my father."

Seiko nodded solemnly, recalling the valor of Lindir's father. "A fitting tribute. Is it simply instrumental or will you write a song to go along with the music?"

"I believe I'll keep it just with music, I feel words wouldn't be able to capture the emotion like I would want it to," Lindir decided.

"It really is quite beautiful, I look forward to hearing it when it's completed," Seiko smiled cheerfully.

"I wish to try to finish it before the end of the year," Lindir planned. "I tend to compose music during the breaks I have between my duties. Have you written anything?"

Seiko had to think about that question. It had been a while since she had done anything musical, due to being busy with border patrol and messaging runs (and the fact she was currently on a quest to reclaim a mountain). She didn't actually compose much, she mostly played existing musical notes and songs.

"The only one that comes to mind is the instrumental piece I wrote several hundred years ago," Seiko admitted, wracking her brain. "_The Blossom and the Firefly_, I believe that's what I named it."

"Will you play it?" Lindir asked curiously.

Seiko hesitated for a minute, not quite confident as he was in her playing skills, but she found she couldn't bring herself to refuse him. "I'll have to find my Koto, I suppose I can play it later tonight in the Halls of Fire," she conceded after weighing her options.

"I'll look forward to it," Lindir echoed her previous words, standing up and setting his harp aside delicately. "I do think I must return to Lord Elrond and remind him of that meeting with the advisors he has today that he's not allowed to skip again."

"Farewell, and perhaps I'll see you tonight," Seiko bade him luck. "I'll try to dig my Koto out of the closet and dust off the cobwebs, but you might have to squish any spiders for me that I find."

She shuddered at the thought of the spiders, she despised the eight-legged creepy crawlers. Her remark earned a snicker from the dark-haired Ellon minstrel. She wondered why she hadn't talked with him more during her various trips and visits to Rivendell, he certainly was a quite easy and interesting conversation partner. She did suppose during the twins', Arwen's, and Niphredil's younger days, they spent much time chasing the sneaky elflings around Imladris, so there would have been less talking and more running.

_**The Blossom and the Firefly**_** is an actual book by Sherri L. Smith, and it's really good. I only cried twice reading it. Also, yes, this was more of a filler chapter but it's a nice break from getting chased by orcs and wargs. **


End file.
